how to clean a victorian lampshade

You’ve invested in a Victorian lampshade and enjoyed it for some time now but it’s looking a little scruffy and could use a good cleaning. What to do? Here are some tips for safely cleaning your lampshade for dust removal, spot treatment, cleaning silk with water, and fringe care to keep your work of art lampshade looking pristine.

Basic Cleaning Techniques

The least destructive and most effective method to clean a decorated Victorian lampshade is to use a combination of a gentle lint roller, and a dry paintbrush. Start with the lint roller at the top of the lampshade and roll downward to the bottom of the shade. This will remove any lint and pet hair. Next, get into those nooks and crannies with a dry paintbrush. Carefully brush into any pleats or decorative features such as appliques or ribbon work. You can use artist’s brushes for fine work in small areas.

In addition, a vacuum cleaner extension can be used to clean a lampshade but do so with caution to avoid loosening stitches and decorative elements. Hold the vacuum extension a good distance away from the lampshade to avoid a suction bond with the shade. Avoid using a hairdryer as, doing so will simply drive dust and dirt deeper into creases.

Spot Treatment for Stains

To spot clean protein stains such as grease or food from a silk Victorian lampshade, gather hydrogen peroxide and a cotton swab. Gently blot the spot with the moistened swab. Move the swab in a circular motion covering over the stain, and slightly outside the stain area. Blot with the dry end of the swab to remove excess moisture. Allow the lampshade to dry and check the treated area. Repeat if necessary. Do not worry about dye discoloration as, hydrogen peroxide will not remove dye.

If your lampshade is extremely discolored from environmental wear or large accidental spills, consider contacting your local dry cleaner for lampshade cleaning options.

Getting Victorian Lampshades Wet

Perhaps you’ve seen videos on social media channels of people washing lampshades in buckets of water or bathtubs. This might work well for high quality silk lampshades that have sealed wire frames. Most off-the-shelf lampshades do not have sealed wire fames, and once they get wet, they begin to rust. The rust seeps through the biding and into the silk leaving unpleasant rust stains on your lampshade.

While it is indeed true that silk can be soaked in water and recover its original shape, there are a few things to consider when soaking Victorian lampshades in water. First, if your lampshade is made with any amount of glue, you can expect weakening of adhesion and weepy glue spots once the shade is dry. This includes trims, fringes, beads, and decorative elements that have been glued to the lampshade. If antique or vintage textiles are used, you may want to consider if those items are colorfast, delicate, or waterproof.

If you have a simple, undecorated, pure silk lampshade that is entirely sewn (without glue), and you know that your lampshade maker has sealed the wire frame, you can indeed soak your lampshade in water to clean it with no negative repercussions. Keep in mind the age and weave of the silk as, antique silks can experience a degradation of structural integrity from the extra weight of being wet.

Cleaning Victorian Lampshade Fringes and Beads

A great tool in your Victorian lampshade cleaning arsenal is the handheld steamer. A steamer will safely clean all varieties of soft fringe, whether silk, rayon, or polyester. In addition to cleaning soft fringe, the steamer will also straighten your fringe to its original glory.

Glass beaded fringe can also be cleaned with a handheld steamer, but caution should be taken with dyed beads. Dyed beads are usually bugle or seed beads from overseas that do not have consistent color throughout. The beads are treated with a coating that is not waterproof. These prestrung beads are sold by the yard, and some makers glue them to lampshades. If soaked, these beads will lose color entirely and turn clear or partially colored. In addition, you may loosen glue bonds by steaming dyed bead strands that are glued to the lampshade. For these fringes, simply wipe with a damp cloth.

Handstrung crystal, ceramic, metal, and undyed glass beads an be cleaned with a handheld steamer, and the outcome is magnificent. The beads sparkle as brilliantly as they day they were made. Once your steaming session is complete, gently wipe excess water away with a soft dry cloth.

Some lampshade makers put plastic—or acrylic—beads on their lampshades. If it is not known what type of sealant is used on the plastic, exercise caution with heat-based cleaners such as a handheld steamer as, the sealant can melt and cause warping or discoloration of the beads. These beads may need to be cleaned individually, so set some time aside for this effort.

Tips for Silk Velvet

Cleaning silk velvet can be challenging, but not impossible.   If using a handheld steamer does not do the job, you can successfully clean silk velvet by hand.  For the best results, remove surface dust and lint first using a lint roller of soft bristle brush.  Next locate a scrap piece of white silk velvet.   Wet the scrap piece until it is damp.  Using the damp scrap piece, gently brush the entire velvet section(s) of the lampshade in one direction. Be sure to follow the pile of the fabric and avoid swirling or changing direction.  It is important to avoid “spot” cleaning velvet as, the treated area will leave an impression once dried, that will stand out from the rest of the velvet.  This is why the entire panel(s) should be cleaned.  As always, a professional dry cleaner can be engaged for resolution of difficult stains.

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Crystal Hayes is a lifelong Seattle resident who gains inspiration from the natural beauty and vibrant arts communities in the Pacific Northwest. She thrives on creative expression resulting in unique Victorian lampshades, vintage lampshades, and lamps that can be used in everyday life. Crystal is entirely fearless when it comes to design, she is a perfectionist at construction techniques, and she proves that customer satisfaction still matters.

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