Radiators are one of the most used items in the home, but are often the least cleaned. Even if your radiators have aged and become discolored, you need to clean them to improve hygiene and indoor air quality. Cleaning yellowed radiators is a time-consuming task that may not always be successful. But you should still keep them clean. Heating experts even say that we should remove dust from our heating system every week. You can find out why and how in this article.
How can you clean yellowed radiators?
The simple answer is that you can't! If the heater starts to turn yellow, this is a sure sign that the pigment has come out of the enamel and the radiator has reached the end of its life!
Many people seem to assume that they can solve this problem by painting the heater white, which can cause cracking and discoloration over time, as you can see in the image below.
Another common problem with older radiators is corrosion on the inside. As water flows through the boiler, pipes and radiators, it can react with the metal, causing small metal flakes to end up in the water over time. The small metal plates stick to the bottom of the heater and cause sludge, cold spots in the radiator, a cool heater and overall higher heating costs!
The modern radiator is now more compact than its outdated predecessor and can give off just as much, if not much more, heat using less energy! Over the last 15 years, radiator technology has improved enormously, meaning our homes are becoming much more energy efficient. Maybe now is a good time to stop thinking about old andClean yellowed radiators, but to replace them with newer ones!
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Regular radiator cleaning can help you save on energy costs
Most of the dust, about 60 percent, comes from nature and the things we bring into our homes. Dust easily settles on radiators, which over time becomes too easypollute heatingleads. But keeping them clean can reduce your heating bills. But how? Deposits prevent heat from escaping to the outside. This means your radiators have to work harder and longer to keep the heat in the room, leading to higher bills. Cleaning yellowed radiators can be an impossible task, but removing dust is easy if you follow these five steps.
How to clean a radiator
If you're guilty of neglecting the hygiene of your radiator, there are a few simple tips on how to clean it with minimal effort.
Turn off the heating
Before you start cleaning your radiators, it is important that they are switched off. Not only is this safer, but it also prevents them from kicking up more dust while you clean them.
Start with a vacuum cleaner
Before you reach for the feather duster, vacuum in, around and under the radiator to collect the dust, rather than shaking it up with the feather duster and blowing it back into the air.
Tipp: Use a vacuum cleaner to remove as much dust as possible in and around the radiator. If your vacuum cleaner has smaller attachments, use them to reach into the slats.
Use a radiator brush
After you have vacuumed most of the dust, use a radiator cleaning brush to reach the remaining dust and dirt particles. If you don't have one, you can easily make one yourself. Take a stick or piece of wood and wrap a microfiber cloth or fluffy duster around it and secure it with tape. To get rid of the smaller pieces that are caught on the radiator fasteners, you can effectively blow them onto the towel using a hairdryer on a cold setting.
Tipp: Remember to place a towel under the radiator before starting this step to protect your flooring.
Clean yellowed radiators – wipe with soap and water
Fill a bucket with warm, soapy water and use a sponge to wipe down the outside of the radiator. Make sure you have plenty of soapy water on the sponge and wipe it out so it is damp but not dripping. Dry your radiator thoroughly with a microfiber cloth to ensure the metal does not rust.
Finally, check your baseboards
After cleaning the radiator, check the surrounding warm baseboards to see if the dust has fallen off the radiator. These may also need to be wiped down. Because sometimes the heat can cause dirt and dust to stick to the wall. Rub any stains with the soapy sponge, being careful not to damage the paintwork.
A few minutes spent dusting your radiators every weekly cleaning can result in big cost savings over time. Also consider how you can bleed a radiator to keep your heater working. This can also save you money in the long run, but it's a job that you need to do far less regularly than once a week.
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