A crystal chandelier is usually the centre piece of any room in which it is displayed. Its style and elegance cannot help but draw the eye in and the gleaming and sparkling effect is beautiful. If you want to keep it looking its best however then you do need to keep it clean and look after it well. Over the months and years it is in place dust and dirt will settle onto it and after a while it will start to lose its shine and sparkle. It is important you don't let this happen if you want to enjoy it for many more years.

Regular cleaning is very important. Keep this in mind when you are deciding where to hang it. Somewhere impossible to reach will mean cleaning it becomes extremely difficult so place it somewhere accessible instead. Depending on the material of the chandelier will depend how you clean it. Often people are tempted to run a feather duster over it and although this works well on iron or less "delicate" designs, crystal chandeliers or other styles with multiple hanging pieces can break or come apart when running something like this over it. It is much better to clean a delicate chandelier when it is at eye level This can mean either you go to it on a step ladder or you bring it down occasionally to give it a wipe and a dust.

If you want to go up a step ladder then you should take with you a cloth and some water. When you are at a good height to easily reach the chandelier, begin by gently dusting the light with the dry cloth. This will get off all the cobwebs and some of the dust. The next step is to wet the cloth with the water and begin rubbing the individual pieces with it. Make sure you get into all the hard to reach places and try and cover as much as possible. If you are satisfied that all the grime and dust is coming free then you can tackle it again in just a few months. If however you feel the dust is not coming off or you can't reach a large amount of it then it is sensible to bring it down.

Once you have taken it down and laid it out you should take numerous pictures of it from every angle. This is so that when you take it apart you know exactly how to fit it back together. There are some specialist cleaning companies who will clean your crystal chandeliers for you. If you decide to use one of these you should also make sure plenty of photos have been taken. If you are cleaning it yourself then you should carefully remove just a few pieces at a time if possible. Each one you can now give a proper clean and polish. You can use a little bicarbonate of soda if there is a lot of dirt as this is a natural scourer that won't harm the crystal or other material in any way. Cleaning the light thoroughly in this way only needs doing very occasionally, and a lighter, regular clean will keep it shining and looking like new for a long time.

Chandeliers are quite delicate so when handling the light you should be extremely careful. You should also explain to any children in the house how easy they are to damage so they are careful not to throw things in the air underneath them or cause other damage.

Crystal chandeliers don't need a huge amount of cleaning and care, but they do need some light work every now and again to keep them looking their best. Whatever type or material of chandelier you have, regular cleaning is important. Make sure brass chandeliers and even a gold chandelier is cared for well for maximum durability.