The presence of chandeliers helps give a room its defining personality and make it a spectacular gathering place for family and guests. As a lighting fixture, chandelier lighting was once believed to be the upscale reserve for mansions and homes of the rich and famous. Affordable chandeliers have now brought this dazzling fixture to the center of many average American homes. Maintaining this classy look requires a little work on the part of the homeowner, though nothing so strenuous that you would have to break a real sweat.

These permanently placed centerpieces are magnets for dust, grease and other air particles. While the lights are shining brightly, cooking, pollen and dirt that may travel in on the clothing of people who live in or visit the home and ordinary house dust collect on both the bulbs and the shiny features of chandelier lighting. In order to clean the chandelier, you will need to take certain safety precautions.

First, turn the light off at the light switch. If it is possible, kill the electricity to the light through the circuit breaker in your house. Sometimes, just flipping the light switch will no be enough to protect you from electric shock or other dangers of electrical current – like potential fire if any sparks fly off and land on carpet or flammable decor. If the light has been on for a while, allow the lighting to cool.

To make sure you have enough lighting while you clean, bring in a light source that is plugged into an outlet in another room or one that uses an extension cord with a power surge protector. You always need to be able to see exactly what you are doing.

Move the table away and spread a soft, old blanket in the floor beneath the lighting to protect any parts that might fall during cleaning. The blanket cushions the fall and, in most cases, prevents breakage. On top of the blanket, use a tarp or plastic floor cover to protect the floor from any spilled liquids. Choose a secure ladder for climbing with a level platform to place cleaning supplies while you work.

If you do regular dusting, then you may only need to do a dry cleaning of your fixture. Take a dry cloth and wipe down the chandelier carefully. Microfiber cloths work the best because they are lint free and get rid of smudges better than paper towels or cotton – which can leave a dust residue behind. You will need one cloth to get rid of the dirt and the other to polish. Although it is considered dry cleaning, some chandelier lighting owners spray small amounts of glass cleaner on the first cloth to make it damp enough to remove greasy dirt.

If you decide to do wet cleaning, use an approved cleaning solution for your chandelier fixture. Often, the instructions from the manufacturer will come with specific details about which products are not good for the life of your lighting. If in doubt, call a local retailer of your chandelier to see if there is a stocked supply of a cleaner that your manufacturer recommends. Often, a one-part ammonia and two-parts distilled water solution works.

With wet cleaning, you can spray the cleaner directly onto the fixture, but you must cover the bulbs with small sandwich bags and secure the bottom of the covering with rubber bands. This prevents water from getting into the bulb socket. Spray evenly and allow the spray to drip on the drop cloth you have placed below. Then wipe each part of the fixture to clean off the dirt.

Allow 48 hours of drying time for your chandelier lighting before you turn the light back on at the circuit breaker.