New seasons are a great time for a clean, even if it isn’t the springtime. If it’s feeling like the right time for you to spruce up your electric fire, here’s a quick guide to doing that safely and thoroughly. Maintaining your heating appliance is going to ensure you can continue using it fully for its whole lifespan, so this is a job worth doing.
By the way - lucky you for having an electric fire! That’s the first thing to say. Of all the kinds of heating options you could be cleaning, the electric fire is just about the simplest. There’s not really much you have to do. You don’t have to get a chimney sweep, and there are no worries about the gas supply. You don’t even have to get out in the garden with an axe to stock up on solid fuel. Truly, electric fires are a breeze for cleaning.
So let's get to it. First of all, as with any electrical appliance, you’ll want to unplug it to be on the safe side. No buts here. If you’re going to approach your electric fire armed with a duster, you don’t want the electricity still active. And while you’re there with the plug, take a closer look at the wire. It’s probably fine, but any evidence of wear and tear there is potentially a small issue that could become a major issue, causing a fire hazard. Spotted a problem already? Call an electrician to deal with it before you plug your fire in again.
Next, we’ll deal with the outside of the heater. Using a dry cloth, simply clean the surfaces to get rid of any dust that’s settled. You can even make use of one of those little hoover attachments that you generally don’t use, to brush away anything that’s collected on vents and outlets. Gently does it. You'll probably be surprised how much better its looking already.
What about the glass? If you look at the manual for your electric fire you might find some specialist advice here on removing the panel. You don’t want to scratch the glass, so nothing abrasive, but a damp cloth might help, and you want to clean both sides for a really clean and clear finished result.
Inside your electric heater, there may be logs or stones or other features that need a good dusting, so use a clean cloth and go over everything carefully. When you’re happy you’ve made it look as good as new, replace the glass carefully according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
After all that, the final step is to put the kettle on and experience the feel-good factor of owning an electric fire. You've done your maintenance, and you haven’t even had to deal with chimneys, gas pipes, or coal supplies. Make a mental note to repeat this process regularly so that your electric fire remains a thing of beauty.
Cleaning your electric fire is a job worth doing, whether at the beginning of the end of summer, so you’re all ready for many months of lovely convenient and efficient heating.