Stair lifts can be dust magnets so how do we clean a stairlift! Follow our quick guide best methods and products to use when cleaning a stair lift
. Cleaning your stair lift should be a simple straight forward job. A quick dust down twice a week with a cloth duster or feather duster should be more than adequate.
Avoid using water or cleaning solvents at all costs. For straight stairlifts with aluminium tracks/rails can be wiped over with a damp cloth (Damp Not Wet) Then buff dry with a clean cloth.
The chair seat/carriage can be cleaned using standard house polish! Spray the house polish onto the cleaning cloth then rub and buff to a shine. (Never spray the polish directly onto the chair/carriage)
Spraying house polish directly onto the carriage may well cause damage to components and circuit boards. If too much polish is applied it can find its way (Drip) through air vents and gaps etc. Causing S/C Short Circuits or corrode delicate components on the PCB printed circuit board.
Curved stairlift rails/tracks should never be cleaned with any type of solvents. Avoid house polish and DWD (Engineering oils) like the plague. Curved stairlifts use a system where the speed of the stairlift is monitored using an RMU! A roller sits on the rail and as your stairlift moves this roller rolls along the rail sending pulse information to the operating system.
Applying cleaning solvents to the curved rail could cause the roller to lose friction and skid, this action causes the stair lift to receive incorrect pulses and the stair lift will stop/shutdown. Typical symptoms intermittent stop starting! The stairlift will travel a few inches then stop. This symptom could also be caused through flat batteries.
Removing marks from a curved rail! A good rub with a damp cloth should remove most marks. For stubborn marks a light rub with wire wool or light gauge emery paper is all that is required. The rail should appear matt in colour not a shiny gloss colour.
Cleaning of your stair lift and rail should be undertaken by qualified engineers who should clean and lubricate the stairlift following the manufacturer's specification and guidelines on its annual service inspection.