How to wash lamp shades

To clean a stained fabric lampshade, fill a deep sink or bathtub with warm water and 1 teaspoon of dish soap or laundry detergent. Next, place the fabric lampshade in the water and let it soak for a couple of minutes. Dip a sponge into the warm, soapy water and wipe the lampshade clean from top to bottom.

Mix a bowl of cool water with some delicate fabric detergent and apply just the soap suds to the shade in sections using a microfibre cloth, turning the shade each time to ensure full coverage. Then gently rinse off the suds and wipe the lampshade dry.

When your lamp begins to cast a yellowish glow, it may have everything to do with the lampshade and not the bulb. Lampshades with use and age begin to turn yellow. If you are tempted to replace an old shade, it might surprise you to learn that much of the yellowing comes from dirt.

Cleaning Lampshades – Here’s a bright idea: Keep your fabric lampshades dust–free with an adhesive lint roller. Hold the shade steady, and pass the roller over the exterior. Find this Pin and more on Cleaning and Homekeeping Tips by Martha Stewart Living.

Do not immerse a silk lamp shade into water or use water or oil-based products to clean it, as those could create permanent stains on the shade. If the shade is stained or yellowed, it must be dry–cleaned by a professional.

Mix cold water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid in the bowl, then saturate a sponge in this mixture. Gently dab the sponge on the water stain to soak the affected area and the surrounding fabric. Rinse the shade.

Vinegar Method

Dampen the corner of another washcloth with white distilled vinegar, and rub the stained area to remove the water spot or ring. Rinse out the first cloth again under running water; wring it out and reapply it to the area to remove the vinegar. Let the stained area dry. Repeat as necessary.

For a silk lampshade, use a delicate detergent and instead of scrubbing, gently press the water marks out of the fabric with a damp cloth. For plastic lampshades, it will be very easy to clean water marks since plastic is durable enough to withstand scrubbing with a sponge.

Washing silk at home may result in shrinkage, limpness, and considerable fading. And if you get a spill, don’t rub silk when it’s wet. Silk will chafe easily or develop light areas if rubble while wet.

Steps to Whiten Yellowed Silk

Soak the item in the soapy water and gently wipe it until the yellow areas begin to fade. Rinse the item until all the soap is removed. Refill the tube with cool water, and then add 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Rinse the item in the vinegar water, and then rinse it with cool water.

METHOD 2: Use mayonnaise to remove water stains from wood.

Dab a bit of mayonnaise onto a rag, then gently apply it directly to the water-stained area. Let the mayonnaise sit on the water ring for at least a few hours or as long as overnight, reapplying if the initial coating dries out.

You probably didn’t know you could use WD–40 for bathroom cleaning, but because it’s a lubricant that’s not as harsh as most chemicals you use in the bathroom, it’s great for getting rid of hard water stains and other stubborn stains without harming your surfaces.