The bathroom exhaust fan is one of the most overlooked areas to clean in your house. I’m speaking from experience because I didn’t realize it needed regular cleaning when I first became a homeowner.
Over time, dust builds up inside the fan and cover, making it louder, less effective, and in some cases, even a potential fire hazard.
Here’s exactly how I clean my bathroom exhaust fan from start to finish as part of my annual home maintenance checklist.
How to Clean Your Bathroom Exhaust Fan in 5 Easy Steps
The below steps is how I clean my bathroom exhaust fan, which does include a light. Yours might only have a fan component, but you can still follow along.
Turn Off the Power to the Fan
Before you do anything, it’s important to turn off the power to the fan, which can be done at the switch level. I like to take it one step further and actually turn off the power to the entire bathroom from the circuit breaker in my basement as well.
It’s a simple step that adds an extra layer of safety while I’m working.
Remove the Fan Cover
Once the power is off, it’s time to remove the fan cover. To do this, gently wiggle and pull down on the cover, until it’s detached from the ceiling a bit. You should notice two wire prongs, one on each side, still holding it in place. Take a look at the picture below for reference.
Simply pinch both prongs together and the fan cover should detach entirely from the ceiling. If your bathroom fan has a light, like mine does, there will be a cord plugged into the housing component. Gently unplug the connection to detach the light component and fully remove the cover.
Vacuum Inside the Fan Opening
Using either the brush or crevice attachment, vacuum inside the fan opening area. There might be quite a bit of dust if it’s been several years since you’ve done this, so be sure to take your time and hit every corner. Just don’t press too hard into the fan blade or motor.
I find that the dust does not build up as much when I make this at least an annual task, but doing it every 6 months makes this step even quicker.
Clean the Fan Cover
Once the fan unit itself is free of dust, it’s time to clean the cover. I like to start by vacuuming both the front and back to pull as much dust out of the vents as possible. That usually gets rid of the loose debris, but if there’s a lot of built-up grime or sticky gunk, the cover will need a deeper clean.
If your vent cover doesn’t have a light or any electrical components, fill your bathroom sink with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Let the cover soak for a few minutes, then use a brush to scrub away any remaining grime.
Because my cover has an electrical cord for the light, I can’t submerge it in water. Instead, I’ve found the most success using these cleaning cloths to scrub away the buildup. For the corners and edges, I wrap part of the cloth around the tip of a Q-tip and use it to clean the tight spots.
No matter which method you use, make sure the cover is completely dry before reinstalling. I usually set mine on a clean microfiber towel for about ten minutes to air out.
Reinstall the Fan Cover
Once your fan cover is completely dry, you can reinstall it over the fan. It’s important to make sure there’s no leftover moisture because any dampness transferred back into the fan will start collecting dust again and undo the work you just did.
The metal prongs can make reinstallation a little tricky, especially if yours are anything like mine and sit flat when unclipped. Instead of trying to fit both prongs in at once while standing directly underneath, I find it easier to move my ladder slightly to one side, clip in one prong, then shift to the other side and secure the second one. Once both prongs are in, slide the cover back into place against the ceiling.
If your fan cover has a light, don’t forget to plug the cord back into the housing before reattaching the prongs.
Once everything is back in place, turn the power on at your circuit breaker and test your fan.
