Great Tips for Stairlift Maintenance and Cleaning

Owning a stairlift there are some basic things you can do to help keep your stairlift in good clean condition. Like any machine with moving parts, a stairlift benefits from routine maintenance. Here are some tips for cleaning and maintaining your stairlift. 

After your stairlift’s installed, it’s important to look after it so that it will give many years’ reliable and trouble-free service. Like any machine with moving parts, a stairlift benefits from routine servicing and maintenance, but any mechanical or electrical work on your stairlift MUST be left to the experts. A new stairlift should be supplied with a manufacturer’s warranty which covers it against any fault or breakdown for a set period. It should also include at least one annual service for the stairlift, carried out by a suitably trained technician.  

Manufacturers recommend their stairlifts are regularly serviced – usually once a year – by a trained engineer. This keeps them in good working order and ensures any damaged or worn parts can be identified and replaced. The first one or two services should be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty (depending on how long it lasts) and be included in the original purchase price – check before you buy. Beyond that, most manufacturers offer extended warranties or ‘annual service agreements’ to ensure your stairlift receives the routine expert maintenance it needs after the initial warranty expires. It’s an additional and ongoing cost, but it’s also the best way to make sure your stairlift remains in a good, safe condition, and to prolong its working life.   

While technical maintenance must be left to the experts, there are some basic things you can do to help keep your stairlift in good clean condition. Refer to the relevant section of the user manual supplied with your stairlift for any specific advice on the care of that make and model. Some general tips include:  

• Most stairlift carriages have surfaces that can be cleaned with a damp (not wet) cloth or a disinfectant wipe, especially the seat, backrest, armrests, and footrest. Refer to your user manual to be sure, and clean very gently around any control switches.  

• Remote control handsets should be regularly cleaned with a damp cloth or disinfectant wipe. Check the remote-control batteries regularly and change when necessary.  

• Dust and clean the stairlift rail once a week with a dry cloth. You can apply a little household polish to the cloth, but don’t use a damp or wet cloth or any abrasive cleaner on the rail.  

• If you can see and access the toothed metal rack in the stairlift rail, it’s a good idea to vacuum it regularly to prevent a build-up of dust. You’ll need to use one of the tool attachments for your vacuum cleaner.  

• Make sure the stairlift carriage is always ‘parked’ on its charging point at the top or bottom of the stairs when the stairlift is not in use, so the batteries are topped up. If you’re not sure how to do this, we advised that you refer to your user manual.  

• Do not unplug or switch off the power supply to the stairlift rail. This will result in the batteries inside the stairlift carriage losing their charge so the stairlift will not work.  

• If the stairlift isn’t needed for a while, you should still run it up and down the stairs at least once a week to keep everything moving. Make sure it is properly parked for recharging.  

• If other people in your house use the stairs in the normal way, make sure the arms, seat, and footrest are folded up when not in use. That way they won’t knock into it, which could cause damage.  

One important note of caution – don’t attempt any cleaning, dusting, or vacuuming on the stairs if it puts your safety at risk! The main reason for a stairlift is to keep you safe on the stairs, so it would be crazy to go climbing on the stairs with a vacuum cleaner in tow. If you can’t do it safely yourself, ask someone to do it for you.