How to Clean a Vintage Fiberglass Shade

No need to throw away those vintage fiberglass lamp shades

That vintage fiberglass lamp shade perfectly matches your living room decor but now it's looking dingy. Whether your lamp shade is from a yard sale, thrift store, or your grandma's basement, the thought of cleaning it can be scary. How to accomplish that without the shade falling apart? This technique can get rid of all the dust, dirt, and grime that has built up over the years.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• 1/4 cup mild detergent
• Electric mixer
• 2 damp sponges
• Dry, soft cloth

Instructions

Cleaning that Old Lamp Shade

1. Mix 1/4 cup mild detergent in a bowl, adding enough water to activate the detergent.

2. Whip the detergent-water combination with the electric mixer until stiff-looking suds form. The resulting mixture should look like whipped cream.

3. Apply the stiff suds to the shade, using one of the damp sponges, cleaning only small sections of the shade at a time. Do not use anything abrasive to clean the lamp, such as scratchy sponges or harsh, gritty cleaners. These will scratch the lamp.

4. Wipe the suds with another damp sponge after cleaning a small area of the shade. (Do not get the lamp shade wet. It may be wiped, but be careful of the shade edges and any area where old glue might hold things together. Getting these parts wet could loosen the glue and the lamp shade will fall apart).

5. Leave the shade to air dry. A hair dryer may be used, but be careful to avoid high heat, as it can damage glue and temperature-sensitive decorations on the shade.

Tips & Warnings

• Vacuum the lamp shade with a vacuum hose to remove dust particles before washing the shade. However, this is not needed if your lamp shade is fragile and delicate.

References

• Michigan State University Extension: Cleaning Lamp Shades
• Do It Yourself: The Lamp and Lampshade Cleaning FAQs