The hot weather makes you turn on the fan continuously, and suddenly you realize they act like a “dust magnet.” Why is dust so easy to cling to fans and cooling devices? Let’s find the answer to this question right away!
The hot summer season increases the demand for cooling devices such as electric fans and air conditioners. However, when using these devices, you may notice that they easily accumulate dust on the fan blades, metal frames, and filters. In fact, the amount of dust collected is often significantly greater than that on tables or cabinets.
You should regularly maintain and clean your fan.
Why Do Fan Blades Accumulate Dust?
The answer is static electricity. When the fan blades rotate, they constantly “slice” through the air, creating friction between the blades and the air, which generates static electricity and creates an attractive force, especially for small and lightweight particles like dust. Therefore, dust accumulates more on the fan blades; the more the fan rotates, the greater the static charge, leading to increased dust accumulation.
Moreover, the amount of dust on different parts of the same fan blade varies. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that the outer edge of the fan blade collects more dust while the rest collects less. This is understandable because that part directly and forcefully “slices” through the air, creating more friction, which makes that area more electrically charged, thus attracting more dust.
For air conditioners, a similar situation occurs, but the mechanism is slightly different from that of electric fans. The operating principle of an air conditioner involves continuously sucking in air from the room, passing it through a heat exchange unit to cool it, and then blowing it back out through a filter.
During operation, pollutants such as dust, bacteria, and allergens cling to the evaporator fan and are partially retained in the filter. The remainder is blown back into the room.
If inhaled, these pollutants can cause respiratory diseases or other serious health issues.
So How Can You Prevent Dust from Accumulating on Your Fan?
With summer approaching, fans will be running continuously and are likely to gather dust on the fan cage and blades. Therefore, the only solution is to regularly maintain and clean your fan. This not only increases the fan’s rotation speed, allowing it to operate smoothly, but also contributes to a fresher atmosphere and ensures your family’s health.
When you notice a significant amount of dust on the fan blades, you should disassemble all parts of the fan for thorough cleaning. Not only do the blades accumulate dust, but the motor shaft and core can also gather a considerable amount of dust. Cleaning will help the fan gain the energy it needs to operate more effectively and safely.
Tips for Cleaning Electric Fans
To clean your electric fan thoroughly yet quickly, follow these steps:
- Check the condition of the electric fan to ensure it is functioning properly.
- Turn off the fan, unplug it, and ensure that the control knob on top of the motor shaft is pulled up beforehand.
- Remove the fan cage by turning the retaining knob counterclockwise to detach the blades from the shaft, and then remove the remaining retaining knob from the fan.
- Use mild cleaning agents such as dish soap or detergent to clean the fan blades, cage, and retaining knobs, then wipe them dry.
- Clean and apply oil to the rotating shaft, then reassemble the blades and cage, plug in the fan, and turn it on to check if it operates normally.
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