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7 Hard-to-Clean Areas in Your Home (& How to Clean Them)

Illustrations of various household appliances and fixtures, including a ceiling fan, window blinds, a refrigerator, and air vents.

How do you clean the blades of a ceiling fan without potentially hurting yourself? For an easy solution, simply use a stepladder and a pillowcase. Encase one blade of a ceiling fan with a clean pillowcase, and then pull the pillowcase towards you, which removes dust from the top of the blade and brings dust down into the pillowcase. Turn fan and repeat for every blade until the entire ceiling fan is clean.

Read below for instructions on cleaning other hard-to-clean areas of your home, like behind your refrigerator, high ceilings, window blinds, and bathroom exhaust fans. For info on how often you should be cleaning in some of these areas, check out my cleaning frequency chart.

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Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates are packed with new features, and you can try them before almost everyone else. First, check Gadget Hacks' list of supported iPhone and iPad models, then follow the step-by-step guide to install the iOS/iPadOS 26 beta — no paid developer account required.