Most proud owners of elegant lighting fixtures like chandeliers know how relaxing it feels to look at a sparkling, clean piece that elegantly reflects on your walls, ceiling, and furniture.

However within time, your lighting fixtures can lose their glitter and allure, because of many factors. Layers of dust on the crystals and grime from other airborne pollutants may let it lose its shine. When this happens, it means it’s time to clean them. The frequency of cleaning these depends on the lighting piece's location, type of crystals and the shape of the crystal jewels.

How To Properly Remove Dust From Chandeliers

Chandeliers need thorough, yet careful cleaning when it appears dusty or dull. Just look at your chandelier frequently, and you’ll know when to do the cleaning. Every time you dust your house, it would also help to take off the dust from this fixture using an antistatic dust brush.

While dusting, take note that the fixtures crystal pendants, if it does have one, shouldn’t beat each other, as this may create invisible cracks and eventually spoil the clear structure of the crystal. If you have a modern chandelier design, you can clean it without detaching the pendants from the frame.

Most home décor experts suggest that while handling crystal pendants, use white cotton gloves. Mix a solution of one part isopropyl alcohol and three parts distilled water. Put it in a spray bottle, put on the cotton gloves, and spray one glove with the solution. The other glove should be kept dry. Carefully caress the crystals with the damp glove and wipe it immediately with the dry one.

Cleaning Chandeliers With Materials From The Kitchen

There are a lot of cleaning agents in the kitchen that could be of great help in cleaning your chandelier. However, most lighting experts caution owners not to use packaged cleaning fluids, even if they claim to be for crystals, as these may contain ammonia or other chemicals that will eventually degrade the frame finish.

Lighting and home décor stores can offer you appropriate cleaning solutions, which are produced by chandelier manufacturers specifically for cleaning these lighting fixtures. You can use them by following the instructions on the package. If you have a classic crystal chandelier, it would be better to detach the crystal from your chandelier first, for cleaning. Hand-wash the crystals in lukewarm water, using mild dish soap. Rinse them in clean water and dry with a soft clean cloth.

In addition, draw the trim diagram or a sketch of the crystal pendant patterns of your chandelier before removing crystal. This helps in easily reassembling it without difficulty. Wear white gloves when re-hanging the crystal on the chandelier, and do not put the crystal pendants back to the chandelier while they are still wet, as it may cause the corrosion of the metal parts of the frame. Most importantly, do not handle crystal with bare hands. Always wear white cotton gloves, as crystal easily picks up fingerprints.

Crystal chandeliers need extra care when cleaning, especially when the crystals lose its shine and start looking dull. Clean modern-designed chandeliers with glass shades when they begin to look dusty or grimy. To keep your fixtures regularly clean, dust it lightly every two or three months with a feather or wool duster. Make sure you know how your crystal or glass design goes together before you begin cleaning, so you wouldn't have any problems reassembling it again.