I have used Kaboom foaming bathroom cleaner on my fabric lampshades with outstanding results. I took the lampshades into the bathroom over the tub and sprayed them down good. I lightly rubbed the foam in with my hand and waited about 10 minutes for it to work. I rinsed very well and then took them out in the hot Florida sun to dry.
They all turned out bright and clean with no streaks. I am amazed how well this worked. I even used this on my lampshade with beads on the bottom, with great results. To think I was going to throw the shade out and replace it. Now it looks brand new.
By Carmen Dunning C. from Daytona Beach, FL
This page contains the following solutions.
Lampshades can build up grime, dust, and pet hair over time. Cleaning them can be difficult, but it is worth trying before your replace them. Here are some tips for cleaning lampshades:
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have off-white colored lamp shades that get very dusty and coated in cat hair. Without rubbing in the dust and discoloring the shades, how can I get them clean and dust-free?
Vacuum them with the attachment on your vacuum cleaner.
I use a clean small paint brush or basting brush to dust my pleated shades. Works like a charm!
TRY USING A BLOWDRYER ON MED. SETTING IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BRUSH ATTACHMENT TO YOUR VACUUM.
Bounce-type fabric sheets work well for this.
try a Swiffer Duster, I use them on my pleated white lamp shades and they are fantastic !!
If the shades aren't pleated, this is a great trick -
I bought a 4 pk of Lint Rollers that have tear off sheets, at Sam's Club. I keep one upstairs and one downstairs. You can;t believe the amount of "stuff" they pick up off of the lamp shades!
How do I safely clean large antique lamp shades without damaging them?
I would do a spot test with hydrogen peroxide, which can get rid of stains and dirt and make things whiter again. I have used it in many surfaces - it makes everhything cleaner and does not often ruin things. But you should really do a spot test first.
rubbing corn starch on it can do the trick as well, as can baking soda.
I have 2 antique raw hide lamp shades, they are yellowing with age and have a few marks on them. How should I safely clean raw hide?
By Gwen Myrick from Conroe, TX
Well. the rawhide is simply going to yellow with age just like a newspaper and many other items :-( Being rawhide you'll have to be careful how long you clean with a moist cleanser but you could try a small test spot with hydrogen peroxide to try to remove the yellowing. Would need to know what the 'marks' you're talking about are before giving advice on them.
If you don't want to replace a worn or soiled lamp shade, try one of the ideas found below for refurbishing a lampshade.
A lint roller is an excellent tool for cleaning dust and lint from your fabric lampshades. This is a page about using a lint roller for cleaning lamp shades.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I need ways to clean fabric covered lampshades that are discolored due to smoking (without quitting, which I'm trying to do). I do dust them every week.
I would like to clean my lamp shades. They are fabric and were exposed to a smoking room for a good while.
