Cleaning Tips: How To Keep Your Light Bulbs & Lamps Sparkling Clean Posted on 13 Jun 14:27

When we are giving our home a lovely spring clean we tend to forget one of the most important features in the house, the lighting. Keeping your light bulbs and lampshades clean can have a massive impact on your room lighting; the cleaner the bulb the brighter it is.

Make sure that you keep your light bulb clean to its full potential, so it can help keep your room looking bright, clean and fresh, rather than it looking dark and gloomy.

Therefore, we thought it would be a good idea to give you some cleaning tips on how to keep your light bulbs and lamps sparkling clean.

Reminder! Turn your lights off and wait for the light bulb to cool down before removing. LED light bulbs are cool to touch so no wait time is needed.  It is always important to make sure halogen or non-LED light bulbs are cooled down before you clean to prevent burning yourself.

How To Clean Pendant lights:

Using a soft, lint-free damp cloth with a drop of washing up liquid or cleaning solution, gently wipe away all dust and dirt from the pendant light. Once cleaned, use a microfiber cloth to polish the pendant light, making sure there are no smears left from any residue. Once done, your pendant is ready to hang.

How To Clean Chandeliers:

Whether your chandler is glass or crystal, it is best to find the right cleaning solution that works well. We suggest to fill up a bowl of warm water with a drop of washing up liquid to clean the chandeliers. You should dust your chandelier at least once a week with a feather duster, this can help keep the dust and cobwebs at bay for a while, but every now and then it is best to give it a thorough clean.

Extra Tips for Chandeliers:

If your chandelier isn’t too big, then it is best to take it down and place onto a soft towel. If you can’t remove the chandelier then it is best to use a step ladder, allowing you to reach the chandelier to give it a good clean.

Start by cleaning the chandelier with a cleaning solution, followed by polishing with a microfiber cloth. Another note is if your chandelier has crystal, it is best to wear soft, white, lint- free gloves; this is to prevent any finger prints from appearing on the crystal after you have finished cleaning.

For any chandelier that may be too high or has a too elaborate design, it might be best to call a professional cleaning service to clean it or you.

How To Clean Ceiling fixtures:

Carefully remove the ceiling fixture which ever material it may be, glass, crystal or plastic and put it in a bowl or a sink filled with warm water. Add a little drop of washing up liquid if you don’t have any cleaning solution.  Let it soak. Whilst you are waiting, start cleaning the light bulbs themselves remembering to remove once cooled and make sure you keep them away from water. Using a damp, cloth gently wipe the bulb clean followed by a microfiber cloth to help dry and polish the bulbs.

Now remove the fixture from the soapy water and start to remove any dirt or dust build up using a sponge. Then rinse the fixture in clean water, followed by drying it off with a dry towel or microfiber cloth.

How To Clean Light Bulbs (including LED filament):

If you have halogen light bulbs, you need to wait until the bulb has cooled down before removing from the fitting. For halogen light bulbs, we recommend that you remove the bulbs in the morning when they are not in use and have cooled down from the night before. LED light bulbs are cool to touch so there is no need to wait for these bulbs to cool down. Using a damp cloth, wipe away any dust or dirt from the bulb. Make sure your cloth isn’t soaking wet as you don’t want any water going inside the electronics.

After you have dried with a soft, microfiber cloth, it is recommended to leave the bulb out to air-dry for about 15-20 minutes before you attach it back into its original fixture.  This way you will know the light bulb is fully dry and won’t cause any damage when you reattach the light bulb to the fixture.

Alternatively, you can use soft brush head on your hoover and gently hoover the dust.

How To Clean Lampshades: 

There are a few ways to clean your lampshades, although it can be a little tricky depending on what fabric the lampshade is made from. Here are some well-known materials that lampshades are made from.

How To Clean Fabric Light Shades: 

It is best to start off by hoovering the lamp shade, making sure you remove all the dust and dirt before you start to properly clean it. Some fabric lampshades can be removed from their metal frame. If you can remove the material from the frame then do so. Let the fabric soak in some soapy water, then after you have let it soak, using a cloth or a very soft brush to remove the dirt. Rinse the fabric with clean water and then put the fabric back onto its frame to let it air-dry to prevent the fabric from shrinking. To get the best results, attach the full lampshade to a piece of string and let it hang over the bath tub to dry or on the washing line.

Any fabric that has ruffles or ridges, you can use your fingers to remould it back to its original shape.

How To Clean Paper:

Do not wash any paper lampshade in a bowl of water! The paper will just go soft and deteriorate into small pieces. The best way to clean it would be with a duster or a hoover to remove the dust and dirt from the lampshade. Then if need be, using a damp cloth, very gently rub to remove the dirt. Don’t be tough on the paper lampshade as it can tear.

How To Clean Parchment Light Shades: 

This particular kind of material is delicate too and the best way to clean it is the same way you would clean a paper lampshade ( this is to avoid damaging the parchment). Do not use any sharp or metal tools to clean your lampshade, again this will damage your parchment lampshade. Not only can you use a hoover to clean your lampshade, but you can even use a lint roller as the stickiness will pick up all the dirt and dust as you roll over the lampshade.

How To Plastic Light Shades: 

If you regularly clean your lamp shade, whether by dusting or hoovering it, it will help keep your lampshade cleaner for longer, but it is important once in a while to give it a good clean. Plastic lampshades are probably one of the easiest lampshades to clean.  You can wipe away any tough dirt using a damp cloth, or you can remove the lampshade from its fixing and place it into a bowl of soapy water, and using a sponge to remove the dirt.  To dry the lampshade, you can use a clean towel or a piece of kitchen roll.

Other materials: 

Depending on how heavy the lampshade or frame is, it is best to remove the lampshade from the fixture and place it into a bowl of soapy water. Using a soft brush or sponge will help to remove any dirt from the lampshade or frame. Then rinse the lampshade or frame with clean water, and let it dry. To dry your lampshade or frame use a dry clean cloth, microfiber cloth or towel, to wipe away any droplets of water, whilst you are doing this try to buff in circular motions to help polish the lampshade or frame to prevent any marks. 

Do you have any cleaning tips for lamps or have you used our advice? Send us a Tweet or photo on Instagram – make sure you use thr hashtag #lightmytuesday