This TikTok Cleaning Method Could Break My Fan
As spring gets closer and closer, I was happy to see a new trend on TikTok that claims you can easily clean fans—a rather tedious job—by simply spraying the car down and covering it with a plastic bag. I tried this on two different fans today and the results weren’t very good. Here’s what happened and what you can (and should) do instead.
My Attempt to Hack TikTok Fan Cleaning
First of all, here’s how it should look and work when you use a cleaning solution and trash or plastic bag to “clean” the fan:
There are tons of videos like this on TikTok and they all look pretty impressive, so I gave it a try. Different creators recommend different cleaning products, such as rubbing alcohol or dish soap, but I decided to fill the spray bottle with a diluted solution of Fabuloso—the same one I would use to clean the fan if I were doing it by hand.
I first sprayed my tower fan with a strong spray and then put a bag over it. Nothing happened. No dust or dirt got into the bag. Honestly, I decided to take this as a personal victory and chalk it up to my fan just not being disgusting and dirty enough. The goal here is ostensibly to moisten the dust inside the fan to the point where it becomes heavy and dense enough to be blown out of the vents. I just couldn’t get enough dirt!
However, my little desk fan definitely did; it was disgusting to even look at. I sprayed it on, put the bag on for a full 10 minutes and… nothing. All the dirt was still visible when I removed the bag. Nothing—and I mean none—worked out. But to make matters worse, my fan got too wet and failed. It didn’t turn off. I think that’s the main problem with this supposed hack: you can’t unplug the device like you normally would when cleaning something with electrical components, since you need it to be able to blow air to finish the job. Unfortunately for me, my fan charges while it’s plugged in, so even unplugging it didn’t do anything. He had to run for an hour with water inside before he could turn off again. I undoubtedly damaged and/or broke it by doing this.
In short, not only does this hack not clean your vents or fan blades, but it can damage your fan. I don’t care how many videos you see of people doing this successfully. It’s not worth trying.
How to Clean a Fan Instead
In this case, it is better to act as usual. Turn off the fan. On larger box fans, you should be able to unscrew and remove the front panel, gaining access to the internal parts as long as you submerge the front panel in soapy water (your bathtub is great for this). After this, wipe the blades with soapy water. If you can’t or don’t want to do this, simply use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to suck out dirt and grime through the vents and slats. Use soapy water to wipe down the exterior, including the cord, but be careful not to get moisture into the cord or button connections. They can be wiped with a regular microfiber cloth. Here’s a more complete breakdown .
While I’m sad that this neat trick didn’t work, I’m glad for two reasons: first, I can talk you out of trying it, and my apartment now smells great after two of my fans sprayed Fabuloso water into the air. It’s the little things.