Monday Motivation #54 | Top-Down Spring Cleaning: Ceilings, Fans, Lights & Everything Overhead

This week, we’re kicking off the “real” work of spring cleaning with a top-down approach—starting with what’s overhead: ceilings, vents, fans, lights, and fixtures. 

You’ll learn why cleaning from the top down saves time (and re-cleaning), how overhead dust impacts indoor air quality, and what simple tools make the job safer and easier. 

Plus, I’ll walk you through a step-by-step method for dry cleaning first, then safely tackling grime and stains with just a little moisture—so you can freshen your home without creating new problems.

SHOW NOTES:

The entire transcript of this episode is on the blog along with links to suggested tools and helpful resources. Click below or go to theartofhomepodcast.com/blog and search "MM54".

https://www.theartofhomepodcast.com/post/top-down-spring-cleaning-ceilings-vents-fans-fixtures

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Happy Monday, homemakers! Welcome to Monday Motivation, brought to you by the Art of Home Podcast, where we are exploring how homemakers cultivate a place to belong. I'm your host, Alison Wheats. I'm a wife, a mom, a granny, and I've been practicing the Art of Home for over 30 years. Thank you so much for joining me for a little Monday motivation today. Every Monday, you can meet me here for homemaking tips, ideas, and encouragement in this short form episode. If you like what you hear today, be sure to check out our long form episodes that come out every Wednesday, where we feature stories of homemakers just like you and deep dives into topics related to homemaking. We are in week three of our spring cleaning series here on Monday Motivation. We've discussed motivation that we can get from historical, modern, and biblical sources. And last week we covered essential tools. Today, we finally start cleaning. I want to talk to you about the necessity of the top-down cleaning approach, and then we will tackle ceilings, vents, lights, and other overhead things. Why top-down cleaning is best. Whether you are spring cleaning or weekly cleaning, it's always best to take a top-down approach. Cleaning surfaces in the room from top to bottom works with gravity, not against gravity, in that the dirt and the dust will always fall downward eventually when it's disturbed. If you start by cleaning mid-level surfaces, like a coffee table, for example, but then you realize you need to clean the ceiling fan, you will very likely have to give that coffee table another wipe down after you clean the van. The best approach is to start high and finish low, cleaning as you work your way down and through the room. This is why we are beginning our spring cleaning instructions with ceilings, vents, lights, and everything overhead. Now, whether you approach your cleaning one room at a time or one level at a time is really up to you. You may want to tackle the living room all in one day, starting with the overhead cleaning and working your way down until it is fully cleaned. Or you may want to do all of the ceilings, vents, lights, etc. in the house all at once. It depends on how you like to work, how much time you have, and which approach gives you enough satisfaction to keep plugging along in your spring cleaning. Benefits to cleaning ceilings and overhead. Number one, improves air quality. Ceilings, vents, fans, and other fixtures overhead can really collect a lot of dust, debris, pet dander, and other allergens. We often forget that these areas need regular cleaning, just like all the other surfaces in our home. By keeping the dust and the dirt at bay, your home's air quality will significantly improve. Cleaning the surfaces overhead in bathrooms and kitchens, the dirtiest duo of any house, will prevent bacteria and mold from building up and becoming airborne with any passing draft of wind. Number two, clean ceilings and fixtures look nicer to you and your guests. No one wants to look up and see giant cobwebs or blotchy stains hovering overhead. Number three, regular cleaning and maintenance catches small problems before they grow into big ones. Until you purposefully turn your attention to clean these surfaces overhead, you might not notice a tiny water stain that's forming from a slight water leak, or a crack in the plaster, or loose wires on a light fixture. So now that I've hopefully convinced you of the benefits of top-down cleaning and specifically cleaning your ceilings, let's gather our tools. Tools you will need for cleaning everything overhead. A stepladder. Listen to last week's Monday motivation as to why this is a standard homemaking tool. A mask if you are sensitive to dust or if your space is particularly dusty. You also might want to wear a hat or a headscarf to keep dust out of your hair. An old sheet, drop cloth, or tarp to keep the dust from falling onto the surfaces below. A dry cleaning tool with a telescoping long handle. A flathead mop with a microfiber pad is a good option. In a pinch, you could wrap the head of your broom with a microfiber towel and secure that with a large rubber band. Alternatively to the flathead mop or the broom hack, a vacuum cleaner with a long detachable suction wand for this particular job, or a stick vacuum that has a brush attachment that fits on the end. It just depends on how high your ceilings are as to which of these tools will be the best fit for you. If your ceilings are fairly tall, you're probably not going to have a vacuum cleaner long enough to reach to the ceiling. So you would want a long telescoping handle with a mop head on the end. Note, for textured ceilings, a vacuum with a long handle is essential because you cannot use a flat mop on a heavily textured ceiling. It just won't work. You'll also need something to clean your ceiling fans. A microfiber bendable head tool is very helpful for this job, but you could also use the pillowcase method. I'll explain that in a minute. Just keep this in mind when you're choosing your tool that you're going to do your first pass of dry cleaning with. Cobwebs are sticky, so make sure that your tool will really grab onto those and pull them away from the ceiling. You will also want a flathead microfiber mop for damp cleaning any grimy spots or stains on the ceiling. Again, the microfiber broom hack might work here, but it's not ideal. A microfiber cloth or cotton rag for wiping down vent covers and light fixtures. New air filters if needed, a screwdriver if needed to remove your vent covers, extra light bulbs for fixtures as needed, batteries for smoke detectors, and then a vacuum for cleaning the floor afterwards. How to clean your ceilings. Safety first. If you have very high ceilings, you may need to hire professional help for this job. If you plan to tackle them on your own and you can do so safely with a taller ladder, I recommend that you always have a partner with you to steady the ladder and hand you tools as needed. But even if your ceilings are normal height, say, you know, eight to ten feet, practice safety when you're stepping on and off your step ladder and always ensure that the ladder is securely in place on level ground. The more that you can work with your feet on the ground, the better. You will have more leverage and power behind your cleaning. That is why long-handled tools, whether vacuum or mops, are so valuable for this job. Invest in a telescoping tool handle that can adapt for different jobs by attaching different types of heads. I will link some examples in the show notes. Dry versus wet. I don't care what clean talk says. Do not clean your ceilings with a drenched mop. Most modern homes have ceilings made of porous materials like drywall and plaster. Applying a soaking wet mop to those surfaces is not a good idea. They will suck up that moisture like a sponge and create water stains and the perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. Dry cleaning is the preferred method for sealings. You're mainly concerned with removing dust and cobwebs. We will address damp cleaning, greasy spots or stains in just a few minutes. Cleaning your sealing step by step. As in all cleaning, you want to thoroughly deal with the dust through dry cleaning methods before introducing any wet cleaning methods. And that includes the vents and the fixtures. First, lay down an old sheet, drop cloth, or tarp over the furniture or the floor where you will be working. This will minimize the amount of dust and debris that you have to vacuum up at the end. If your cloth doesn't cover the whole room, just simply move it around as you work, being careful not to unsettle the dust when you move it. Gather up and take it outside to shake it out as necessary throughout your cleaning process if you need to. Next, get your stepladder, dry cleaning tool of choice, and get to work, removing the dust and cobwebs from the ceiling. Don't forget to cover your hair and put on a mask if you need one. As you are dry cleaning the ceiling, pay special attention to the corners where cobwebs like to collect. If you're using a vacuum wand, use the soft brush attachment to avoid scratching the paint. Work methodically, starting on one end of the room, make your way across the to the other end, covering every part of the ceiling with your tool. As you come to a ceiling vent or a smoke detector, go over it lightly with your tool during this step. Skip the ceiling fan and the light fixture for now. We will revisit those shortly. If you have sealing crown molding, I recommend saving it until after you have knocked all the dust off of the ceiling. Then go around and dust the molding. It's easy to give it a quick swipe with the vacuum attachment, but if you're not using a vacuum, you will want to use a small microfiber head on your telescoping handle or even a broom with soft bristles will work for this job. A note about heavily textured ceilings. If you have heavily textured ceilings, such as a popcorn ceiling, you have my sympathies. These can be a challenge to clean because all that texture means lots and lots of surface area for dust to accumulate, and the texture itself makes it very difficult to pass a cleaning tool over the surface. A vacuum with a long handle and good suction is essential. Make several passes, going slowly over each area to give the vacuum time to collect all the dust. You may want to consider cleaning a textured ceiling more than once a year to avoid a heavy buildup of dust. Fans, lights, and other fixtures. You've removed the dust from the ceiling and the moldings. Now you can address the light fixtures and the ceiling fan. Depending on how intricate the design on your fixtures, you may need a feather duster or a swiffer wand to get at all of the dust that's in the little nooks and crannies. One of my favorite tools for this job is a swiffer with extendable handle and an adjustable head, because the head can be bent into different angles, particularly into a 90-degree angle, which is perfect for running along the top of a ceiling fan blade. There are also reusable microfiber heads that can do the same thing. Another method for dusting ceiling fan blades is the pillowcase method, but this only works if you can safely reach the fan on a stepladder or a taller ladder. One at a time, enclose the fan blade with a clean standard pillowcase. Gripping the ends closed around the blade near the center of the fan, pull the pillowcase off of the blade. And as you pull, you're wiping all that dust off of the fan blade, and it will be dislodged and fall into the pillowcase instead of falling onto the surface below the fan. It's a great little hack. I will link a video showing how this works in the show notes. When it comes to light fixtures, you may find it easier to just remove the light shade and dust and clean it at ground level. Removing the shade or shades also makes it a little easier to dust and clean the rest of the fixture. If it is a dome-style flush-mounted light fixture, I definitely recommend taking the shade down as you will want to clean the inside where dust and bugs tend to collect. This will also allow you to clearly see if any light bulbs need replacing. For can lights or lights flushed with the ceiling, just go over them with your vacuum wand or your dry microfiber cleaning tool. If there are any vents or air returns with filters in the ceiling that you're working on, now would be a good time to open them up, vacuum in and around the opening, and check the filter. Here are some recommended times for replacing common-sized filters. One-inch filters should be replaced every one to three months. This is the most common, especially with people who have pets or allergies. Two-inch filters can go three to six months, four to five inch filters six to twelve months. You may need to change filters of any size more often if you have pets, if you have bad allergies, or you live in an area with poor air quality, excessive dust, or a lot of construction. You can visually check your filter by holding it up to a light source like a window or a bright light. If it's opaque, that is, it's gray and no light can pass through it, it's time to change. Make sure you have the correct size and type of filter for your needs, and write the date that you install it with a Sharpie on the side of the filter that you would see when you open up the vent cover. Once you've inspected the filter, dusted in and around the vent, close the cover and finish dry cleaning any other hanging sealing fixtures before moving on to damp cleaning. Damp cleaning, when a little moisture is necessary. Once the dust is removed, you may still have a few spots with stains, grime, or soot. This is when it's appropriate to use a tiny bit of water and cleaning solution on your ceilings. Fill a spray bottle with 50% water to 50% vinegar, or use a commercial pH neutral cleaner such as Dr. Broner's Sal Suds. Spray your cleaning solution onto a microfiber flathead mop until it's just slightly damp. Do not spray directly on the ceiling. Remember, we're trying to use as little moisture as possible. Pass the mop over the spot several times until the dirt or stain is lifted. You might need to rinse out your mop cover thoroughly wringing out the moisture and then spray some more cleaning solution on and go another pass. To remove any lingering soap residue on the ceiling, you can pass over the area with a clean, damp mop head. If possible, open a window in the room to improve ventilation and drying time. The vinegar and water solution will get through most dirt and grime that you'll encounter on the ceiling, but some stubborn stains might require something a little bit stronger. For greasy kitchen ceiling stains, a spray bottle of water with a few drops of degreasing dish soap like Dawn will work wonders. For sooty stains near the fireplace or wood stove, you will need a special dry chemical sponge called a soot sponge to remove the soot once you have lightly dusted the area. Do not go straight in with wet cleaning because this will only smear the soot around and make an even bigger greasy mess. Follow the dry cleaning with a damp mop as described above, using a mixture of water and de-greasing soap like Dawn. After addressing the spots on the ceiling, you can move on to the molding if you have any. Typical crown molding is painted with a gloss or semi-gloss paint that can handle a bit of moisture. You may want to give all of the moldings a pass with a damp cloth to remove any lingering dust, dirt, or grime. Again, for stubborn spots, use the degreasing power of a little bit of Dawn mixed in with some water. Next, you'll want to damp clean or degrease your vent covers. They may not need this step after the dry cleaning, but in particularly grimy areas like kitchens and bathrooms and near heat sources, they could use a wipe down with a little cleaning solution. Sometimes metal air vents can collect a bit of condensation from the cold air produced by your AC or in some bathrooms from the shower steam. That moisture can create a buildup of mildew. To remove it, simply wipe a cloth sprayed with 50-50 vinegar water solution over the vent and let it air dry. For stubborn stains, a special mildew remover might be required. To prevent this in the future, make sure that your vents are fully sealed and in bathrooms, consider switching to a plastic vent cover. Finishing touches. If you took down your light shades to clean them, make sure they are fully dry and attach them back to the fixture. Now would also be a good time to test your smoke detectors and change the batteries. Some people like to change them at the beginning and the end of daylight savings time when you change the clocks. You should have already removed dust from the smoke detector in step one. Now you can check for any grime or dirt that may need to be rubbed off with a damp cloth. Removing dust and dirt from your smoke detector will help prevent false alarms or other malfunctions. Test to see if the alarm is working and replace the batteries if needed. The last step in this process will be to carefully gather up the drop cloth and take it outside to shake off the dust and dirt. Then do a quick pass with the vacuum cleaner over the floors. And that's it. You can now rest assured that nothing dusty, greasy, or cobwebby is lurking overhead. Great job. That's all for this Monday motivation. The entire text of this episode, along with links to products and helpful videos, will be on the show notes blog post. Click the link below or go to the Artof Home Podcast.com slash blog and search M 54. That's MM and the number five and the number four. I will be back on Wednesday with my first seasonal ramble with Jessica Fisher. And next Monday we will continue our top-down spring cleaning with windows, walls, and doors. Until then, keep practicing your art of making a home.