Brass and crystal chandeliers look elegant and luxurious. However, these chandeliers require a great deal of maintenance. If you do not clean them regularly, the chandelier starts looking rusty, old, and dull. Therefore, you need to clean the chandeliers regularly.
Of course, you cannot go all out when cleaning your chandelier. Over-scrubbing and harsh chemicals can ruin a chandelier’s shine. Alternatively, if your compound is weak, the chandelier will not clean effectively.
In this article, I will tell you how to properly clean your brass and crystal chandelier and make it look brighter and shinier.
Clean the Chandelier in a Relaxed Position
Whenever people clean chandeliers or fans, they try cleaning them standing up. In my opinion, it is the wrong approach. When you stand up to clean the chandelier, you cannot get a good look at its nook and crannies.
Therefore, when you plan to clean your chandelier, take the chandelier down and clean it properly. Moreover, cleaning while you are on a ladder can be very uncomfortable and difficult. Once you bring it down, dust all of its parts correctly.
When you take down the chandelier, it also saves you from an electric shock. You should also be careful when taking down the chandelier and make sure you avoid accidents. Get a secondary light to see if you are taking down the chandelier properly.
Take the Crystals off
Before cleaning the chandelier, make sure that you take off all the glass crystals. It will allow you to take a better look at the frame, and you can clean the entire frame properly.
When you take off the crystals, make sure that you divide them, keeping the same size and types of glass together. Dividing the crystals will avoid confusion when you are putting the chandelier back together.
Do not twist the crystals when you are taking them off, as twisting can damage them. Aggressive twisting can loosen up the crystals, or they can lose their position on the frame.
Make a Mild Solution
By now, you might know that you cannot use harsh chemicals or cleaning solutions on your brass and crystal chandeliers.
You can use isopropyl alcohol to clean the chandelier, by dissolving it into three parts of water. You can make the solution in a spray bottle or a big bowl.
If your solution is in a spray bottle, spray the crystals and scrub them carefully with a lint-free cloth. A lint-free cloth ensures a crystal-clear shine. You can also use a lint-free glove for the same effect.
On the other hand, if you are using a bowl, dip one side of the lint-free cloth in the solution. Scrub the crystals, first with the wet side and then the dry, without soaking the cloth.
Clean the Frame
The best way to make your chandelier’s brass frame shine is by polishing it. But before polishing the frame, you need to clean it. You can wash the brass with a regular dishwashing solution. Use warm water when washing the frame.
When you clean the frame, make sure you scrub down all the dirt and debris while getting all the nook and crannies.
The best way to wash your frame is by dissolving the soap in a large tub of water and applying the soap with a scrubber. Later you can leave it to dry and polish the frame.
Keep up with the Cleaning
I am sure you know that you should not clean your chandelier often. A chandelier can lose its shine and color if cleaning is too rigorous. However, cleaning it once a year is not good enough either.
Infrequent cleaning lets the chandelier gather exponential amounts of dust and debris. The mild cleaning solution will find it much harder to breakthrough this dirt. Therefore, it is essential that you at least dust the chandelier every month or two. Casual dusting will clean up smaller specs of dust and will save you from a thorough cleaning.
The Crystal-On Method
It is possible that your chandelier does not provide you with an option to take the crystals off. Nonetheless, you can still clean it. But you will have to be a little more vigilant when cleaning them.
To clean such a chandelier, you will need to take them off the roof as well. Obviously, cleaning this chandelier is not as easy as dipping it entirely in a soap and water solution. You will have to be careful when cleaning, as it might affect the circuit in the chandelier.
Cleaning glass on the chandelier will include the following steps.
- Take the chandelier off of the ceiling
- Dust the light with a cloth or duster
- Dust the entire thing in every nook and cranny
- Make a soapy water solution with dish soap and water
- Take a lint-free cloth and clean the chandelier
- Later make a cleaning solution with one part isopropyl alcohol and three parts of water
- Clean the entire brass chandelier with it using a lint-free cloth
While cleaning, try not to twist, twirl, or pull any crystals, and try not to hold onto it very tightly.
Best Store to get Chandeliers
If you are looking for contemporary style chandeliers, then I will suggest that you look for one at the eyely store. They have a wide range of multiple styles of chandeliers to choose from. Nevertheless, they have a wide range of classic chandelier designs as well.
Final Feedback
Cleaning a brass and crystal chandelier is not a difficult task. You only need to follow a few simple steps while cleaning the light. However, you can always call on a professional cleaner to clean the chandelier.
The professional will effectively clean your chandelier and will decrease the risk of damaging it in any way.
