Before the coming of winter, we all need our radiators to keep our home warm and warm us from the cold outside. However, before turning it back on, you should always do a thorough cleaning, especially after the long summer break. Indeed, we must always remember that our heaters have been off since spring and may have accumulated dust and dirt. Their cleaning therefore becomes important not only for cleaning but especially for our health. In fact, clean radiators contribute to healthier air in our home and prevent us from inhaling traces of dust. Today we give you some tips on how to clean your radiators with natural means, so you are ready for ignition the coming winter.
NB: We remind you to always follow the production instructions before trying to clean.
Remove the dust from the radiators
As mentioned earlier, radiators tend to accumulate dust, so cleaning them is necessary for health reasons, especially for allergy sufferers. To remove dust from your heaters, you can use the following:
- The vacuum cleaner
- Hair dryer
To remove the dust from the radiators, you can use the vacuum cleaner that you usually use for cleaning. The vacuum cleaner is already a good first tool to remove some of the excess dust that has accumulated over time. However, for optimal cleaning we recommend the use of the bedspread, a dusting brush or an antistatic cloth. These are in fact able to eliminate even the small dust residues that the vacuum cleaner cannot.
Besides the vacuum cleaner, we recommend another immediate and simple means to remove dust from radiators: the hair dryer. To use the hair dryer, first place a damp cloth behind the radiator and another one on the floor. At this point, operate your hair dryer with the cold air jet and let the air be directed to the places where there is more dust. You will notice that all the dirt will settle directly onto the damp rags. We recommend that you perform this procedure during the winter season as well to avoid dust accumulation.
Exterior cleaning
After we have dusted our radiators, it is time to start cleaning. Cleaning is important to remove further traces of dust, but also stains. Although cast iron radiators with a ” concertina ” surface are more difficult to clean, you can use the same ingredients to clean them that you use to clean aluminum or other metal radiators. However, for cast iron radiators there are special brushes that shrink depending on the size of the slots.
Vinegar
To clean both cast iron and aluminum radiators, you will need:
- 1 quart of water
- 1 glass of vinegar
- 1 glass of alcohol
First pour 1 quart of water and a glass of vinegar in a bucket. Then add the glass of alcohol. Mix all the ingredients and dip a sponge into the solution. Then run the sponge over the surface of your radiator. At this time, rinse with water and dry your radiator with a dry cotton cloth. Your radiators will be as good as new!
Bicarbonate
Another remedy for cleaning your radiators is bicarbonate of soda, an ingredient widely used in household cleaning. It can be used especially for yellow stains. For this remedy you will need:
- 3 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 quart of water
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar
In a bucket mix all the ingredients. Dip your sponge and wipe it over the surface of your radiator. Then rinse with water and dry with a dry cloth.
Interior cleaning
However, it’s not enough to just clean the outer surface to make sure you can turn on your radiators in complete safety during the winter season. In fact, if you really want to clean your radiator thoroughly, you need to make sure that it is clean on the inside as well. By cleaning the inside, you can remove the air bubbles that cause limited operation of the system. Before starting, remember that the heating systems must be turned off.
To be able to clean the inside of your radiator, you must first open the valve on the side. The operation must be done with great care, and it is necessary to open about three quarters of the valve (ie about half a turn and no more). You can also use pliers if you cannot. At this point, we slowly start to bleed the valve. Once water comes out, it’s time to close it again. Your heater is finally ready to heat your homes the coming winter!
Attention! If you don’t know your way around, get help from someone who is competent in this step!
Warnings
We recommend that you check who is responsible for the status of your radiators before taking action, especially if you are inexperienced.
