Cleaning your Custom Fabric Lampshade

Prepare Lampshade for wash:

Use a clean soft cloth or a vacuum brush to dust the lampshade inside & out. Take off any non-washable trim, if possible, beaded trim may be washed but you must use extreme caution while submerging shade in water. Make sure beads do not tangle together.

Custom Fabric Lampshades:

Fill a deep washtub or bathtub with enough warm water to cover shade. Add detergent and swish up thick suds. Use a mild detergent, such as a hand soap or dishwashing liquid. Use suds on a soft brush to rub any spots lightly. Then dip the shade up and down. When the water gets dirty, change to clean sudsy water. Wash the shade a second time.

To rinse the shade, dip it up and down through two or three changes of clean water. Don't worry if the cloth stretches and sags while it is wet, it will tighten up for a snug fit when it dries.

To dry a custom fabric lampshade, tie a string to the middle of the frame. Then hang it over the bathtub or hang it from a clothesline outdoors to drip dry. Or you can wipe the shade with a bath towel until it's almost dry, then put it back on the lamp and turn on the light so the heat from the bulb will help it to finish drying.

Plastic, Plastic Coated, Laminated, Parchment or Fiberglass Lampshades:

Put 1/4 cup of mild detergent into a bowl. Add just enough warm water to make it wet. Whip this mixture with an egg beater or an electric mixer to make stiff "dry" suds that look like whipped cream. Put some of the thick suds on a cloth or sponge. Use this to wash the shade, inside and out. If the binding around the edge is glued on, don't rub it or let it get very wet. Rinse the shade right away by going over it with a clean damp cloth, then wipe dry.

If the lamp has a reflector bowl, take this out and wash it like a dish. Use warm suds and warm rinse water, then wipe it dry.