Sunday, July 29, 2001		Sunday Activity

Don’t take lampshades lightly

Dust your lampshades regularly

LAMPSHADES come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Regular dusting is the best way to keep them clean. Here are some handy tips for the care and cleaning of the lampshades in your house:

• Use a soft cloth, brush or feather duster to dust the inside and outside of a lampshade. Avoid touching the shade with your hands as oils from your skin can discolour the covering material and attract dirt.

• A pleated lampshade is best cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.

• To clean a plastic or fibreglass shade thoroughly, dust it , then wipe it with a cloth dipped in warm, soapy water. rinse and dry it. Avoid wetting glued parts and wires.

• Rub off spots and marks from paper lampshades with an eraser. To keep parchment paper from drying out , rub once a year with some castor oil.

• Cotton, linen or silk shades should be professionally dry cleaned because making them wet may cause them to shrink and warp the frame.

• Some rayon and nylon shades that are sewn and not glued to their frames and have colour-fast trims can be washed. It is best to wash a lampshade on a clear, dry day when it can dry quickly so that its frame won’t rust.

• Before washing a shade, dust it thoroughly. Then fill a tub with warm soapy water so that it covers the shade. Immerse the shade in it and swish it up and down. If the water gets very dirty, change it and wash the shade again.Rinse a few times, blot with a towel and hang in the shade to dry.

• Lampshades can be dried indoors too, under a fan, as it helps to circulate the air and speed up drying.Sags in the fabric will disappear as the shade dries.

• Don’t try to protect a new shade by keeping it wrapped in cellophane even when put to use. the cellophane may shrink due to the heat from the bulb and warp the frame, leaving brown marks on the fabric.

• General stains can be removed from shades made of bukram by rubbing them with turpentine.

• Shades made of metallic paper can be cleaned by rubbing them with a mixture of 1 tbsp turpentine and 150 ml paraffin. Wipe off.

• Always switch off the light and unplug before cleaning the shade.

(Compiled by Chetna)