We are easing into Fall here in the Northern Hemisphere and before you swap out your fans for small heaters, I recommend cleaning and purging.

Unplug your fans and disassemble them if you can. You can wash the grills and fan blades in the sink, be sure to scrub off any lint or grease. I know for me there’s pet hair that gets caught and needs to be cleaned out. Once the fans are clean and dry again, reassembled and get ready to store.

Before you put them away for the season, consider if any of your fans are ineffective, broken or have frayed cords. Now is the perfect time to toss those old fans and pick up a few more while they’re on end of season sales.

Remember, if you have ceiling fans, now is a good time to clean the blades and switch directions – see more here.

Finally, as you bring out any room heaters, check them over to ensure they’re safe to use. Same as your fans: clean the exterior of any dust, make sure the cord is in tact and the unit turns on and off correctly.

Note: If you only have a few heaters and need to move them around with you, invest in an extension cord. Repeatedly unplugging a heater without turning it off first can create arcing which damages the heater’s plug and the outlet. It’s much safer and easier to put the plug on a long cord and move it as needed.