I had a white ceiling fan in a 12x12 kitchen, with only one normal size doorway, no outside exhaust and cooking daily for a family of 5. Needless to say that ceiling fan was a weekly cleaning job. My kid tried to help once, she lost her balance, grabbed an arm that holds the blade and thank goodness she didn't fall but the arm bent. I said Oh well, one nasty blade down nothing to loose. I scrubbed that blade until all traces of dirt and grease were gone. A lot of the white paint was also gone. Still having nothing to loose I had a can of no gloss White enamel spray paint left from something else. I had 220 grit sand paper and made sure it was it was smooth then I spray painted it and it looked like new! I did the same to the others and bought a new a set of arms for $12.99 at Home Depot and put the old newly painted blades with new arms back up. For the next 6 years that we lived there, dusting the blades was easy, stuff just slid off. When they did get dingy looking. Windex and a paper towel and they would be sparkling white again.

I'll see if I can answer some of your questions... "(1) What are the SMALLEST size cans out there? And are smaller cans more difficult to install than the bigger ones? Generally for recessed down lighting, a 4" can is the smallest one should go." Installation of the can are not really an issue, it is more of a lamp replacement issue. Harder to replace a lamp inside a 4" can than a 6" can, less room to maneuver your fingers! "(2) Are 4" (or smaller) cans a fire hazard while 5" (and larger) cans are not????" It depends on the manufacturer's recommendations, whether a fixture is IC rated or not. Common speak, if the enclosure or assembly of the fixture is fire rated or not. Even if a fixture is NOT fire rated, an inspector will usually allow two layers of 5/8" drywall, in a box shape, around the fixture. This adds additional burn time before the fire reaches the attic. "(3) Is it true that recessed light dimmers will *not* work with energy efficient lights?" I am assuming you are talking about the CFLs. The first generation of CFLs were NOT manufactured to work with dimmers, yet people used them this way, thus cutting the life of the lamps down. Newer CFLs are labeled for dimming purposes. "(4) What lights / voltage is recommended for recessed lighting?" 110V-120V is fine. Low voltage is generally better for track lighting. "(5) Is it "harder" to install a fan with a shorter "rod" or "flushmount" fans (for a low / shorter ceiling) than one with a longer "rod"?????" Just the same, unless the installer attached the blades BEFORE lifting the assembly up. If your electrician is having a hard time installing a fan, go to the next one. Also, a ceiling fan rated junction box will need to be installed. These boxes are rated to hold weight of 50 or more pounds. "(6) How "difficult" is it to install a dimmer for the lights and program a remote control for the fans?" Two part question. 1.)To replace an existing single pole switch(common in bedrooms, baths) with a dimmer, simply remove existing and replace with new dimmer. To install a NEW dimmer switch next to an existing switch requires adding wire and fishing it thru the wall into the ceiling and to the fixture. 2.)Remote control for the fan is wired in between the incoming wire(existing wire in the ceiling) and the fan. VERY easy to do. It is basically a black box with a remote wire, power(black), neutral(white) and ground(bare copper or green) wire for incoming, and a power(black), neutral(white), ground(bare copper or green) and light(blue) wire for the fan. The box sits in the junction box of the fan.

Idie, DH installed the Monte Carlo ceiling fan in the kitchen. The fan part is working like a champ, but the light part, well, he is cussing it. He's encountered the problem with other electrical products from China, where there is a thermostat or sensor will trip the light OFF if it senses the bulb wattage is to great. Mine takes the candelabra bulbs, and it is supposed to stand 60 watts, but it will only take a 7watt nightlight bulb. Not hardly enough to use in the kitchen ceiling. Well, DH plans to take the light portion of the fan down and bypass the shutoff, since we know what wattage to use. I like the engergy saver florescents with the candelabra bases and had some here, but it let them stay on about a half second before shutting those down too. Not to be outdone by a Chinese lantern, DH has moved on to installing the Minka Lavery double ended light fixture horizontally in the hallway. Great design, which will match the same series of sconces by Minka Lavery that I bought SIX MONTHS AGO, to install in the master bath...if and when the contractor ever comes back. Hopefully the second MonteCarlo tiny ceiling fan will NOT have a precocious sensor in it and there will be no issues with the lights working when we install it. Somewhere. Probably in the master bath? It is tiny enough to fit anywhere, even in a walk in closet! I do love it.

Since I do not have any ceilings on the first floor higher than 8', and on the 2nd floor, 9', perhaps this is why I don't "get" the idea. I did have two in my house - one on the sunporch and we put one in the kitchen. The one in the kitchen was a huge nuisance - with multiple dogs/cats at that time, cleaning it was a daily task and all it did was stir up the pet hair being "discharged" from all these pets. Better to keep it low, on the floor where a quick wipe with a Swifter could gather it all up. I used to use the one on the porch (it is reversible) but find I really don't need it. I did leave it up "just in case" when I re-did the ceiling in true painted beadboard. It's a very old one with lovely real stained wood blades and it just looks nice on the porch; I do rarely turn it on, though. I do not live in the desert SW, but I do live in KY where the humidity is horrendous during many months of the year. What I finally had to bring myself to was to accept that I needed to have the HVAC running year 'round and rarely (really NEVER!), open a window. I LOVE open windows and natural air, but I also have allergies, and the Ohio River Valley is awful - always some sort of pollen/air alert day. I pay a very high price, health wise, for an open window. Perhaps fans are needed for these enormous beamed ceilings, in order to heat and cool. But if so, my question is how on earth do you get up there to clean the danged things? I would rather have more reasonable ceiling heights and no fans, but that's just my personal preference. With normal ceiling heights and a zoned HVAC system, I have no need for fans.