How to clean air vents
The air in your apartment stays fresher if it can flow and circulate freely. Supply vents let air into your apartment and exhaust vents let it out again. Keeping the vents clean is the resident's responsibility.
How to clean the exhaust vents
Exhaust vents are round vents, which are usually found at the top of the wall or near the ceiling. They tend to be located in bathrooms, saunas and walk-in wardrobes but can be elsewhere, too. To clean them, just follow the instructions in the video below. You can add English subtitles by clicking the video once and then clicking the settings button on the left side of the Youtube logo.
Grab hold of the edges of the vent and turn it counterclockwise to take it down. Be sure not to touch the middle or change the position of the vent, as that can affect the ventilation controls.
Wash the vent and the washer under the tap.
Allow the washer and the vent to dry after washing them and then put them back into place. You can reattach the vent to the ventilation pipe by turning it clockwise.
You can also clean the ventilation pipe with a damp cloth, as far as your hand can reach.
How to clean the supply vents
Supply vents are usually located on the wall near the ceiling. Their appearance varies: some vents look like rectangular speakers, others resemble round plates. Here's an easy way to clean them:
You can often see dirty circles around supply vents. This doesn't mean that the ventilation pipes are dirty. Instead, the dirt streaks are dust collected by the turbulence of the air coming in. You can clean the dust off with the brush nozzle of your vacuum cleaner, a duster, or a dry microfibre cloth. If the vent is located near the ceiling, it's a good idea to dust the ceiling at the same time. Please note that if your ceiling or wall has a textured surface, it shouldn't be wiped clean with a damp cloth – that might damage the texture.
Use the same technique to remove the dust from the visible part of the supply vent. If there is a lot of dust, you can remove the filter and clean it from the inside too. Press down on the metal clip at the top of the filter, and it will come off. Please note that design of the filters may vary, so if your filter doesn not have any metal clips, check the instruction manual for opening instructions.
If you wish, you can also wipe the ventilation pipe with a cloth, as far as your hand can reach.
Put everything back into place.
A quick heads up! If you can't find supply vents in your apartment, they might be located in the window frames! In that case the window frame has a small element with summer and winter positions. If you feel a draft from the windows in winter, the element may have been left in the summer position.
