To clean the fabric shade, you will need lamb’s wool duster and a vacuum with a brush attachment. When cleaning a fabric, paper, or silk shade, a lambs’ wool duster will provide better results than those a rag would provide.
For a crystal lamp to give the best light, you need to clean it often, so in this article, we have written the best tips on how to do it.
Perhaps, you can clearly remember the day that you installed your beautiful crystal lamp. How excited you were to take several steps back to take in the magnificent view.
The lights cost you a prettier penny, but they are worth it because they will last for many years. They also changed your home’s entrance – they made your doorway area more appealing and inviting to arriving guests. Possibly, you also purchased beautiful dining chandelier, and you have been enjoying your family meals under the beautiful fixture.
A few months later, you have noticed that everything has changed. The fixtures do not dazzle as much as they initially did. At first, it can be hard to figure it out. You might think that the excitement of having something new overrode the fact that the fixture was not as beautiful as you initially thought. The crystal floor lamps might appear bright on inspection, but they are duller – they are not sparkling as they once did. Something might have happened to the crystals, and it is now more noticeable – maybe not to your guests but you. What has happened over time? How did the fixture lose the initial shine? Is there anything you can do to provide the installation with its initial appearance?
The answer to the question is yes.
Here are some of the methods that you can use to clean the crystal floor lamps so that they can regain their original appearance.
Cleaning the fabric shades
To clean the fabric shade, you will need lamb’s wool duster and a vacuum with a brush attachment. When cleaning a fabric, paper, or silk shade, a lambs’ wool duster will provide better results than those a rag would provide. It will pull and catch the dust in a better way than the rags and work gently on the shades. If your tones are dirtier than you initially thought, go for a vacuum cleaner featuring brush attachments because it will offer deeper cleaning. However, it is always good you keep the vacuum at its lowest setting for perfect results.
Cleaning the glass shades and its components
To clean the glass shades and their parts, you will require some soapy water, a large container to hold the elements, a soft cloth, and absorbent or paper pads. Glass, particularly the dirty glass, will need a thorough cleaning. Start by filling the large container with the soapy water. Remove the glass piece from its fixture and then submerge it in water for around ten minutes. After you are done with that part, rinse it thoroughly and allow it to dry on an absorbent pad or a paper. If necessary, give the glass an additional wipe with the dry, soft cloth or the paper before you place it back on the fixture. Ensure that all parts are adequately dry before you replace them because you would not want moisture to linger on your chandelier.
Cleaning the light bulbs
To clean the light bulbs, you will need a soft cloth. You must avoid using any liquids to clean the light bulbs. If they are already dusty, use a soft cloth to wipe the lamp down – that will strip off all the dust. Do that regularly because a dusty light bulb is likely to give off lesser light.
Cleaning the fluorescent tubes
To clean the fluorescent tubes, you will need a clean damp cloth and a soft cloth. Unlike the regular light bulbs, you can clean a fluorescent tube with a wet cloth – surface or water cleaner depending on your need. Wipe down the surfaces of your tubes with the damp cloth and then use the soft dry cloth to wipe them again before you remount them to their fixtures.
Cleaning recessed light cans
When cleaning the recessed light cans, you will require a clean damp cloth and a soft cloth. Do that as you would clean a fluorescent tube. Start by wiping down all the inner curves with the wet towel and follow with the dry cloth. Do that until the whole lamp is clean.
Cleaning the crystal chandeliers
When cleaning the crystal chandeliers, you should avoid rotating them as you clean. During the cleaning, remember to work around the fixture and remember that turning it can twist the used electrical wires slowly until the break eventually. For the slightly dusty crystal chandeliers, you will need a lambs’ wool duster, an umbrella or furniture pads.
Generally, all you have to do is to clean the crystal chandeliers so that you can maintain their sparkling clean appearance. Before you start, you should set up a few soft pads under the fixture just in case you knock off a crystal off the fixture accidentally. If you do not have pads or a pillow, hang an umbrella upside down on your fixture to catch any crystals that drop if your umbrella is large enough to fill up space under your fixture. After you are through with that, wipe down the whole perimeter of your fixture with the duster until you have displaced all the dust.
The number of times you dust the crystal chandelier per month is hard to determine. How fast the fixture accumulates dust varies from one household to the other, and can range from three months to a whole year. The best thing to do is to check the length of time it will take the lamps to become unacceptably dusty and use it as your standard. And if the chandelier has become unacceptably dirty such that a duster is not enough, you will have to conduct a detailed cleaning. Here is what to do.
Deep cleaning – for dirt and the caked-in dust you will need:
- Lambs’ wool duster
- Ziploc bags
- An umbrella and furniture pads
- Rubber bands
- A larger plastic container
- Ammonia free, non-alcoholic surface cleaner or a specialized crystal cleaning solution
- Non-lint/microfiber cloth or a paper towel
- A drying line
After the time has come to clean the crystal chandelier, you should clean from top to bottom. To do that properly, you should follow the following steps.
- Cut out the power to the chandelier for your safety reasons.
- Set up the pads or the umbrella below the fixture so that it can catch any crystals that might fall during the cleaning.
- Remove the detachable crystals and the glass components and set them to place them in a plastic container.
- Cover your sockets and bulbs with the Ziploc bags and secure them with rubber bands. Never use a tape.
When cleaning the crystals, you should use specialized crystal cleaning solutions. Other methods, such as those that involve the use of vinegar/water or soapy water, do work, but some factors like the different soap brands and incorrect use of vinegar and water proportions may yield inconsistent results when tarnishing the pins.
Fill the plastic container with the cleaning solution and submerge all your crystals. Leave them to sit in the solution for over five minutes and limit the time to 15 minutes to strip the dust completely. After that, remove all the crystals each at a time while wiping them thoroughly with the paper towels or non-lint cloth. After that, leave the crystals to dry on the absorbent pad or hang each of them on your drying line so that they can drip dry. Regardless of the method you choose, you should leave the crystals for at least two days so that they can dry completely. The last thing you would want to do is hang the damp crystal strands on the fixture because the trapped moisture could tarnish the finish of the chandelier easily.
As the crystals dry, spend some time to clean the frame. To do that easily, apply some ammonia-free/non-alcoholic surface to clean the surface of the frame until it is properly clean and then use a dry cloth to complete the second wipe. Remember to cover the sockets and the bulbs before you start the wiping process because you do not want any moisture in the sockets. To clean the socket covers, start by removing the socket covers and use the dry cloth to clean them separately.
If the crystals are already attached to the chandelier, clean the parts with a dry cloth. When necessary, damp a cloth with a solution and use it. If any moisture gets trapped between the frame and crystal may tarnish the finish of your crystal floor lamps. After everything has completely dried up, re-dress the fixture and relish in your beautiful crystal chandelier again.
Conclusion
If you have not cleaned your crystal floor lamps for a long period, you will have to use a light sudsy washcloth to rub every crystal teardrop gently. Grime can accumulate over time and make the crystals very hard to clean. After you have rubbed the crystals gently, you will have to respray them with the vinegar mixture. A better option would involve re-wetting your chandeliers with apple cider mixture to see whether repeated wetting will help dissolve any grime films. After the crystal floor lamps are completely dry, you will have to remove the tape and the baggies before restoring the power. The cleaning does not involve any scrubbing or painful disassembling of the crystals. The chandeliers only need gentle wiping or cleaning.
