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How to restore shine and beauty to a crystal lamp
If you’re wondering how to clean cut crystal glass lamps, there are several methods you can use to get your crystal shining like new. To clean your crystal lamp, soak the crystal elements in soapy water for ten minutes.
Rinse the crystal in hot water. Hot water dries faster, and there won’t be as many streaks on the glass. Allow the glass pieces to dry on a drying pad, then return them to their home on the lamp fixture.
If there is dust on the light bulbs, use a cloth to wipe off the dust.
If your cut crystal has smudges, put a bit of baking soda or white vinegar into a sinkful of water. Soak your crystal or glassware for about a minute.
Wipe with a microfiber cloth to get some of the more resilient smudges off. Rinse the glass with hot water and dry it immediately. This will prevent spots and streaks.
How do you clean the inside of a crystal lamp?
If you notice that your cut glass crystal table lamp doesn’t shine like it used to, you probably need to clean it. If your crystal lamp’s lampshade is made of fabric, you can clean the shade with a lambswool duster or a vacuum attachment on its lowest setting.
Remove the lampshade from the lamp first. You don’t want to knock the whole lamp over by accident.
If your crystal lamp has a crystal shade, clean the inside the same way you would clean the outside, by soaking in soapy water, using baking soda and vinegar for particularly stubborn smudges and spots.
How do you remove cloudiness from crystal?
What causes cloudy glass? If your glassware has a slightly foggy appearance, it has come into contact with water that contains too much calcium or lime.
Such cloudiness can be difficult to remove from your crystal, but there are several solutions:
- Soak the crystal in vinegar and water overnight, then wipe off the residue with a microfiber cloth
- Cover the affected part of the crystal with vaseline for a few days, then wipe off
- Rub the affected area with some intensive whitening toothpaste
- Spray the crystal with some bathroom cleaner, let sit for a few minutes, then wipe off
- Soak the crystal in water with a denture cleaner tablet
- Put the crystal into the water with baking soda. Pour white vinegar into the water. It will fizz like a soda, and the residue on the glass will be washed away by the chemical reaction
What is so special about crystal glass?
Crystal glass is the same as regular glass, but with the addition of lead-oxide or metal-oxide. The metal oxide helps the crystal keep its structural integrity even while being cut.
It also gives the glass a porous texture that refracts light better than regular glass. Crystal is a much clearer material and is a lot heavier than glass. It can also be worked into much thinner shapes than glass.
What are crystal lamps made of?
Crystal lamps are made of lead crystal or some other type of crystal with metal oxide in it. The metal in the crystal is what helps it retain its structural integrity when worked thin and cut with intricate designs.
The metal oxide is also the reason crystal refracts light so beautifully.
How can you tell cut glass from crystal?
Although they look similar at first glance, glass and crystal are different in sound, weight, light refraction, and structural integrity.
Sound
When you tap glass, the sound is a brief, dull chime. Crystal produces a prolonged ringing sound like a bell.
Weight
Crystal is heavier than glass because it contains lead or other metals.
Refraction
Crystal, because it contains metal, refracts light that hits it at the right angle. The light will refract in multicolored patterns, like a rainbow. Glass doesn’t contain very much metal, so it doesn’t refract light as much.
Light tends to shine through it as opposed to refracting. This is why glass is better for windows.
Structure
Glass hardens a lot quicker than crystal, so it’s difficult to cut any designs into it. Any cuts you manage to make are usually pretty sharp.
Crystal is a stronger material and retains its shape more readily when cut. You also have more time to cut the designs into the crystal since it hardens slower than glass.
Does all crystal have lead?
Not all crystal is lead crystal.
Crystal can be crafted from lead-free alternatives like barium-oxide, potassium-oxide, zinc-oxide, and magnesium. Although there is little risk of consuming lead from crystal glass, crystal is not recommended for storing food or beverages.
For example, if a liquor spends a long time in a crystal decanter, it may absorb lead from the crystal over time.
