How to clean your lighting

Today's topic: How to clean your lighting. With all of the finishes and types of glass and shades available for fixtures these days, determining just how to clean your lighting fixture without damaging it can be tricky at times. The following tips will prevent any damages and are easy to achieve

• Be certain that electricity is turned off to the unit before cleaning
• For metal components, use a soft cloth, moistened with water or a very mild liquid soap
• Wipe clean and then, for highly polished surfaces, buff with a very soft dry cloth. Under no circumstances should metal polish ever be used as it is abrasive in nature and could damage the protective finish that is placed on most metal parts.
• Never wash shades in a dish washer.
• For glass that does not have a textured finish: Line a sink with a towel and fill with warm water and mild liquid soap. Wash glass with a soft cloth, rinse, and wipe dry.
• For glass that has a faux or textured finish: Simply dust these pieces off as using water could remove the faux finish.
• For cleaning crystals, the "white glove" method is preferred. Get a pair of soft, white gloves, spray your finger tips with rubbing alcohol and then rub each crystal with your gloved hand to polish them.

One important recommendation is that if you have a fixture with glass shades, you may want to consider purchasing at least one replacement globe to keep on hand in case you should ever break one during cleaning. Should the fixture be discontinued and you find you need new glass this may be your saving grace!

Check back with us next week for more exciting lighting news!

Anita Turner