Wendy said, “Looking for some cleaning advice please. I have two black lady (green ballerina and mermaid) lamps with the original vinyl shades and the years have made the shades quite dirty; they are pleated vinyl in black and green. How can I bring them back to life? What could I clean them with; white vinegar perhaps or mild detergent? They are so lovely, but the dirty shades need work. Thanks.”
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Vinyl or plastic lampshades are one of the easiest types of lampshades to keep clean since they can’t absorb dust like fabric shades or be damaged by water like paper shades. However, all lampshades are magnets for dust, which can make them look very dirty over time. Use the information in the steps below to restore the shade to a clean state.¹
Cleaning the Lampshade
You Will Need:
- Canned air
- A paintbrush or dusting brush
- A vacuum
- A sponge
- Dish liquid
- Water
- A cloth
- Vinyl cleaner
- A Q-tip
- Furniture polish
Steps to Clean the Lampshade:
- Dust the lampshade thoroughly to remove as much surface dirt as possible. Spray the shade with canned air,² brush it with a clean, dry paintbrush or dusting brush,³ use a vacuum attachment, or wipe the shade with a clean, dry sponge to remove the dust.¹
- Mix dish liquid with water. Dip a cloth in the soapy water, wring it out so that it’s not dripping, and wipe the lampshade clean. For a shade that is very dirty, you may need to repeat this step several times.⁴
- If the soapy water is not strong enough to clean the shade, use a commercial vinyl cleaner. Spray the cleaner on a cloth, not directly onto the shade, and follow the directions on the label of your selected cleaner.
- Use a Q-tip for any crevices that need to be wiped but are difficult to reach, such as in the corners of the pleats.
- Wipe the shade with a cloth dampened with plain water to remove any soap residue.⁴
- Wipe the shade with a lint-free cloth to dry it.⁴
- If the shade needs its shine restored, wipe it with a cloth that has a furniture polish sprayed on it. Each shade and each polish is different though, so test this on a small, hidden spot of the shade first to look for any adverse reaction.⁵
Additional Tips and Advice
- Always be gentle when cleaning or handling a lampshade, as they can often break or bend easily.¹
- Never soak a lampshade that has any glued parts or that is hand-painted.¹
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Sources
- Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson
- Handy Household Hints from Heloise by Heloise
- Talking Dirt by Jeff Campbell and The Clean Team
- 10,001 Hints & Tips for the Home by Reader’s Digest
- The Queen of Clean’s Complete Cleaning Guide by Linda Cobb
Betsy says:
I recently realized that I had not cleaned any lampshades since we moved to this house four years ago. Thank goodness we have an excellent air cleaner on our HVAC. I wasn’t sure how to clean them, so I used a stiff brush and and went top to bottom briskly. Lots of dust came off, so I wiped it off the tables with a barely damp cloth. I didn’t know how else to do it. It worked fine for me!
Now I have to clean all the can lights in the ceilings.