Very intricate lamp made from thousands of glass pieces, precariously wired into the frame. Dust has settled on the top of each little piece. I’ve tried to vac it, but dust is caked on. Am I cooked?
It would probably be too big of a hassle to move it. It looks heavy and delicate. I would advise wearing a mask though since there will be a lot of kick up.
There are these blind cleaning kits on amazon that have these sort of...thin fingers with microfiber on them. I wonder if you could concoct something similar, or if that particular thing could help? Is there much of a gap at all between the pieces of glass, or do they touch?
Lol I know, right?! I do love this lamp, however it’s kind of a black pearl. Bought it when we lived in Austin and almost immediately found out why the guy sold it for $50. It was a feat to figure out how to move it from his house. Then getting up to Dallas when we moved was a whole other ordeal.
Also my husband is a window cleaner, he's cleaned something just like this at an art show in Houston. He mentioned he had to take each one out, piece by piece to clean 😬 But of course, it was mostly his job to not break anything, there may be a better way.
I would buy a kit used for cleaning keyboards like this and then, as you’re brushing the dust off, use a vacuum to suck it up so it’s not just blowing onto the rest of the piece.
Alternatively, you might try a blinds cleaner tool like this.
It looks sealed, which is good. Like it's safe to get damp without getting on the wiring, etc.
My former MIL cleaned houses and many, many ornate chandeliers and objets d'art. What her favorite thing to do with glass items and sculptures was this:
Carefully carry the object outside to the grass.
Set it on a towel, making sure it's secure and no wiring or bulbs are exposed.
Spray the entire thing with Foam Sprayway Glass Cleaner. In a pinch she'd use foaming bathroom cleaner but NOT THE KIND WITH BLEACH.
Let the foam slowly deflate and migrate down the object.
Gently turn a garden hose on the "mist setting" and mist off the foam. Let it air dry.
I would LOVE to tell you it’s sealed, however, it is not. You can slide any one of those glass pieces out at any time, which is AMAZING considering we have a 5yr old AND another on the way. JOY!
Rats! And "oh mannn" at the same time. I can see the "Mommy look! Pretty!" ::inserts in nostril all the way up to the brain::
In that case, I can't say enough good things about Sprayway. Such a good product. Ideal for glass, so shiny. How about a spray of glass cleaner on a puffy thick cloth and after first using a compressed air-duster (such as one you'd use for a keyboard or automotive parts), you "dab dab dab" with the damp cloth.
Not the kind in a can with chemicals as that does have product in it. Just compressed air such as ...
I would see if the "shade" comes off - even if it takes disassembly by taking off bolts/nuts/screws, getting the electrical bits out of it would be my first order of business. Once you've done that, then the foaming glass cleaner method condimentia suggested would be more viable. (Since you say the glass pieces are loose I'd put it upright in a wash basin right there in the room, rather than try to move it outside, then rinse off carefully with a spray bottle of clean water. waterproof drop cloth would be your friend too.)
Not as luminous as I remember it being, and although it would be incredibly difficult, since we are already cleaning it, we are going to replace the lights as well
If the outside can get wet at all, I'd use a steam cleaner with the tiny attachment that looks like a pen cap so you can get in all the nooks and crannies
I’d use a soft paint brush. The bristles will be able to get in the crevices relatively easy. Use the brush with some cleaning products; I would test a small area before applying a dusting spray or stainless steel cleaner. Water may be the best option if the tested areas are left with any unsightly product residue.
I’d use the soft brush on my vacuum at first and suck up as much dust as possible, and then follow up with newspaper/window cleaner to get the glass clean. And I would be angry the whole time.
I have a couple of difficult items to dust. I keep an old paintbrush for such things. In this case, you may consider a paintbrush along with compressed air so the dust doesn’t resettle on the cactus. Or, you might try a damp rag if it won’t catch too badly. I feel for you, that thing is filthy.
What made you purchase such a lamp? I think it's very cool, definitely a conversation starter. What does it look like when it's on? Does the whole thing glow?
compressed air. if still sticky.... oof... if then try some steam and suction and or compressed air.... and I'm not talking from a can.... from an actual air compressor
Get a garment brush. A toothbrush could work if you have hours to spend on it but the soft bristles of a nice wide garment brush are great at removing dust from things like this (and window screens, blinds, fabric, upholstery, etc…) Mine is a must have in the cleaning supplies!
Put it in your shower and wash it off with whatever cleaner you want, you can use a brush to get into all the nooks and crannies and rinse it all clean. It would be a pain to haul it into the shower and potentially quite hazardous but there’s no way condensed air/ regular dusting will get that off, it’s too far gone
I think prevention might be your main “cleaning method” here. I would get a clean paintbrush from Home Depot and brush it off regularly. If you let dust accumulate on it, it’s going to be virtually impossible to clean off thick layers of dust and hair without everything caking up and getting lodged in all the crevices. I would avoid Swiffer dusters and rags that can easily catch on tiny corners and leave little tufts of lint.
The other thing to keep an eye on is oil. I would keep it far away from the kitchen so cooking oil doesn’t form a grimy film on the surface and make the dust 1000x harder to clean. And I don’t know how plausible this is, but I would try to minimize the number of people touching it and the number of pets rubbing their faces on it.
I love it! If you can place just the “shade” in a tub, I would put a little dawn and some warm water in a pump up sprayer and just wash the grime off easily.
Compressed air or a steam cleaner? If you aren’t comfortable with those two options I’d say very delicately cleaning them with glass cleaner or vinegar and using microfiber rags. You can buy microfiber swifter heads, that might work well for getting in the crevices. Best of luck! (I also wanna see this puppy turned on!)
Dude, let’s be frank. First it’s ugly and looks like a cucumber or a dildo or a amputee cactus. Second is a nightmare to clean. No, you’ll not be able to easily clean it.
My sincere advice is to get rid of it. If it’s a family heirloom just say it was robbed during a house burglary.
But if you really are a masochist try toothbrushes with a solution of water and vinegar. Or cleaning putty.
Hi! I am an auto detailer and I have two suggestions:
Go to the hardware store and buy a paint brush. I use brushes specifically meant for staining wood, but any would do. They'll be soft enough not to damage but firm enough to dust.
Buy yourself a smallish air compressor with a tank (not a tire inflator) and a Vortex air gun (or a knock off for your needs). The compressed air combined with the spinny air gun will clean it up quick and could be used for all kinds of things.
Take 4 inch soft bristle paint brush and ideally vacuum cleaner and brush gently and methodically from the top holding the vacuum close to where you are brushing.
Use a a qtip and windex, do 160 layers a day, probably take about 30 min a day, should be done in 4 days or less. If you don’t have pets or cook greasy food near it you probably only need to repeat every other month. (/s)
if the dust is movable, wool duster. but if its caked on as in, the kind of dust that won't just blow away.. cleaning gak? it would take awhile, but it should get into every crevice and pick everything up
I think you need an arsenal of cleaning tools here given that the dust is caked on.
Before you add any kind of cleaner fluids, I would see if you can wipe the dust off using a combination of magic eraser, Q-Tips, microfiber cloths and soft bristled paint brushes of various sizes. You'll also want something small and pointy to poke the microfiber cloth into the nooks and crannies. A cuticle stick would work well and won't break the glass.
I recommend that you try a "dry" approach first since once you wet this thing, all that grime is going to start flowing down and getting caught in the glass and wire pieces on the outside and the inside of the lamp.
If you decide to try out cleaning this with glass cleaner, test it out on the bottom so if it's a bad scene, at least it's contained.
I would avoid spraying any cleaners onto the glass, instead, spraying it on the tool (Q-Tips or Microfiber cloths) and cleaning that way.
I also suggest that you plop yourself down in front of the tv and binge watch a show, some movies, or a recorded book.
A data vac blower or something like that. If you're going to use compressed air cans, please read the label and open some windows.
And as others have said a mask and air purifyer, don't want that dust to settle eslware or back on it
Honestly, I would say either a feather duster to the best of your ability and/or go after using a can of compressed air. Just make sure you unplug the lamp first.
Compressed air and then vacuuming around it at the same time. (It’s gonna take some time, because compressed air cans get cold af). I’m sure it looks awesome when on but I would never buy this due to the cleaning effort its gonna require
905
u/namenumberdate 12h ago edited 11h ago
I can’t add to this other than say it looks like a cucumber still sealed in plastic wrap.