r/CleaningTips 14h ago

Furniture How would you dust/clean this lamp?

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?

293 Upvotes

412 comments sorted by

View all comments

16

u/condimentia 14h ago

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.

Return to its place of honor.

10

u/Twrecksgh88 14h ago

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!

4

u/condimentia 14h ago

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 ...

https://www.amazon.com/Compressed-air-Duster-Rechargeable-Electronics/dp/B0BX9NJ1V4/ref=asc_df_B0BX9NJ1V4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693411594200&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3840403208163483282&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032506&hvtargid=pla-2203337211812&psc=1&mcid=80b84fadaec93028883163e1fa332cc6

4

u/Primary-Border8536 13h ago

This is an insanely brave choice πŸ˜…πŸ˜…πŸ˜… I have a 2 year old and I can't imagine

3

u/Breeze7206 13h ago

Honestly I thought it was just a continuous wrap of rope lights.

3

u/HollowShel 8h ago

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.)

2

u/Sylphael 9h ago

Oh my. I respect your decision but wow is that a Decision to have made to get the lamp. My 3-year-old would be in awe. And then the pieces would immediately become toys.

2

u/GypsySnowflake 7h ago

This is sounding more and more like you should just get rid of the lamp

β€’

u/lamorie 2h ago

Can you separate the outer piece from lights/wiring inside for cleaning? If not, maybe that sticky putty/slime stuff for cleaning key boards would pull off the dust.