How to Clean Your Radiator

When it comes to cleaning your home, your radiators might be overlooked and forgotten about. However, keeping your radiators clean is important as dusty radiators can often be less efficient. That’s why we’ve shared our expert tips on how to keep your radiators squeaky clean.

Radiators are one of the most important features in your home. They are responsible for keeping our houses warm, so it is important that they are working efficiently, especially in those colder months!

A great way to ensure that your radiators are working as they should is to keep them cleaned and maintained. Although you might not be able to see it, radiators are one of the biggest dust magnets in our homes. The columns, fins and panels that make up various radiators are some of the perfect places for dust to settle. If dust is left to accumulate on your radiator, it can affect the overall efficiency and make it difficult to heat up your rooms.

That’s why it’s important to keep your radiators clean and dust free! Unfortunately, some radiators are easier to clean than others. For example, a towel radiator is very easy to keep clean. Other styles such as a column and panel radiators are difficult to keep clean due to their dust friendly nooks and crannies. Depending on the radiator style, the cleaning method will be different. That’s why we’ve shared our step by step guide, so that you can keep your radiators clean and working as they should be.

• How to Clean a Column Radiator
• How to Clean a Panel Radiator
• How to Clean a Heated Towel Rail
• How to Clean a Central Heating Radiator

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How to Clean a Column Radiator

Column radiators are made up of numerous columns that create a more traditional looking radiator. The spaces in between the columns are a great place for dust to settle so it’s a good idea to give your column radiator a regular dusting.

Step 1 - Dust The Radiator

Once your heating has been switched off, you want to make sure that you remove as much as the dust as you can before you start cleaning. Do this using a duster to dust in between the columns. 

Step 2 - Wash The Radiator

With most of the dust removed, you can take your damp cloth with warm soapy water and clean in between each of the columns. Use the ends of your fingers to reach into any gaps and remove the dirt.

Step 3 - Clean up any Excess

With your radiator looking clean and dust free you can now leave it dry. Make sure that your radiator has fully dried before turning the heating on. After cleaning your radiator, dust might have settled on the floor or surrounding furniture, so make sure to hoover this up at the end.

How to Clean a Panel Radiator

Panel radiators are made up of one or two panels, one at the front and one at the back. These radiators are great at heating up bedrooms and living rooms. If your radiator has one panel, you might find it much easier to keep clean, however two panel radiators have more concealed spaces for dust to settle.

Step 1 - Dust The Radiator

Similarly to the column radiator, you want to start by turning the heating off and removing as much of the dust as possible. If your radiator has one panel, you can do this by dusting the front and back of the panel. If your radiator has two panels, this might be more difficult due to the limited space in between the panels. 

Step 2 - Wash The Radiator

One panel radiators are much easier to wash, however it can still be a little tricky. To ensure you are giving your radiator a thorough clean, you can tie your damp cloth to a ruler, pencil or something that will allow you to manoeuvre the cloth at the back of the panel. 

Two panel radiators are much trickier as you cannot access the space in between the two panels. The easiest way to clean the radiator is to carefully pour the soapy water in between the panels. This will catch any of the settled dirt which will be flushed out with the water at the bottom of the radiator. You can protect your flooring by putting down some old towels or wipe up any excess once you have finished.

Step 3 - Dry The Radiator

And you’re done! Again, you want to make sure that your radiator has fully dried before switching your heating back on. 

How to Clean a Heated Towel Rail

Heated towel rails are usually installed in bathrooms, where dust can be difficult to remove due to moisture and dampness. Towel rails make a great addition to bathrooms as they make your towels and clothes nice and warm after a bath or shower. If you do not remove dust from your towel rail, you might start to see the dust transferring to your clean towels!

Step 1 - Remove Any Dust

Again, the first thing you want to do is turn off the heating and start to remove any dust from the radiator. Luckily, this is much easier to do when you are working with a heated towel rail. However, if your towel rail sits snug against the wall, it might be more difficult to reach down the back of the rail and remove the dust. A feather duster is great at dusting those hard to reach areas.

Step 2 - Clean The Towel Rail

Now you can take your damp cloth and soapy water to wipe down the surface of the towel rail. If you are struggling to reach behind your towel rail, you can attach the cloth to a ruler, pencil or something that will allow you to manoeuvre the cloth behind the rail.

Step 3 - Dry The Towel Rail

Now your towel rail is looking clean and fresh, you can leave it to dry. You can speed this up by taking a try cloth or towel to remove as much of the water as possible. But do not turn your heating on until the towel radiator has fully dried.

How to Clean Central Heating Radiators

Central heating radiators are one of the most common radiator styles used in homes. They are cost effective and great at heating your home. However, their intricate design of front panels and convective fins make them the ultimate dust magnet.

Step 1 - Dust The Radiator

First, make sure that the heating has been switched off before you start the cleaning process. Dusting the front and top of a central heating radiator is very easy. However, reaching down the back can sometimes be a pain, this is where a feather duster will come in very handy! Some central heating radiators will have a top grill. If you can, you should remove the top girls so that you can use your feather duster in between the fins. If your grill is proving difficult to remove, you can always try other methods of dust removal, such as a radiator brush.

Step 2 - Clean The Radiator

With a damp cloth and soapy water, you can wipe down the front and top of the radiator. Again, you might want to attach your cloth to a suitable item that will allow you to clean down the back of the radiator. Due to their complicated design, the only way to clean between the fins in a central heating radiator is to pour warm soapy water in between the radiator, and flush out any dirt. Repeat this until the water runs out clean.

Carefully tip the water in between the fins, taking your time to avoid any large messes or water damage to the surrounding areas. You can protect your floor with old towels or clean the excess water up afterwards. 

Step 3 - Dry The Radiator

If you removed the top grill from your radiator, you can clip it back into place now that your radiator is squeaky clean. Now you can leave the radiator to air dry before switching your heating back on.

Other Ways to Clean Your Radiators

Some people may not feel confident enough to pour water in between their radiator or to remove grids. Lukickly, there are other less effective methods that will still give your radiator the dusting that it needs.

Radiator Brush

Radiator brushes are designed to dust those hard to reach places on your radiator. They are great at squeezing through grids and panels to give your radiator a good dusting!

Hairdryers

Whilst it is less effective, a hairdryer is another dust busting solution that will save a lot of time. Simply plug in your hairdryer and use the coolest setting to blast out any dust and dirt. This is a great way to get the dust out of those nooks and crannies but can cause quite a mess in your room.

Cleaning radiators can be very straightforward once you know what you’re doing, and there is no need to over complicate the process. You should never try to take a radiator apart, or remove any panels or fins as this could break your radiator, and that would be a pricey accident!

By following these step by step guides, you’ll be able to clean your radiators safely and effectively. Most importantly, your radiators will be able to keep heating your home as best they can.