Sometimes I don’t think home designers consider the living that goes into each room when they design it. Like who ever thought to put pendant lights that you can’t easily undo easily to clean in a home like the picture below? I’ve literally been on a ladder with a screwdriver, wishing for two more sets of hands to catch what I can’t hold of the light in the second picture. Here’s an example of a pendant light that the designer most likely didn’t think we would need to know how to easily take it apart to clean.
Now imagine cleaning this pendant light with one set of hands! It’s a risky situation but can be done and was done for a new home sale from our realtors at www.gottesmanresidential.com/ When they list a home, we take pride in their realtors relying on us to detail clean the home.
The Downside of Pendant Lights In The Kitchen.
Most range hoods above the stove have an exhaust fan that removes airborne grease, smoke, heat and steam. Have you also noticed that you don’t have to have the fan on to see the accumulation of grease above the stove? Whether it’s the cabinets, wall, or in this case pendant lights, if it’s high in the kitchen, and close to the stovetop, it’s going to catch grease too.
The downside to hanging any kind of pendant lights in the kitchen is that they will quickly and easily accumulate a coating of airborne grease too.
The Trick To Clean Pendant Lights.
We’ve been providing Austin home cleaning services for over 24 years, so we have had to battle many greasy situations. Kitchen pendant lights can’t be dusted! They have to be thoroughly cleaned inside and out to shine by hand wiping.
There’s three tricks to know about cleaning pendant lights. ( Oh and be mindful that a lot of Austin maid service companies cannot allow their staff on ladders taller than a step ladder to clean due to insurance purposes)
TRICK #1.
Turn all lights off in the area and clean them at a time that the sun is also not shining directly on them. Lights and sunlight quickly warm your cleaning solutions up, which will cause an immediate streak.
TRICK #2
Use a dry microfiber rag. Never use a wet or damp one because it will streak. For these pendant lights in the Topic Image, I used three microfiber rags. I folded them in four and used all four sides of the folded rag to wipe my cleaner on.
TRICK #3
Use a glass cleaner that foams so you can spray directly on the outside of the light fixture. ( Be sure to cover any areas below that you don’t want the foam cleaner to get on)
If your pendant lights have a clear to reach opening like these ones, you can clean the outside first and then use the dry rag side to now spray the cleaner on the rag and clean the inside. ( You may want to read that again, as it’s an opposite step to clean the outside from the inside!)
Don’t wipe over an over again! Wipe one time and go to the next area so you don’t reapply the dirt.
Some pendant lights require you to use a screwdriver to remove them. For this I suggest bringing them all down and cleaning them in a sink of dish detergent. If you have hard water, this will only work if you polish them with distilled water after to remove all residue.
IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, I LOVE THE LOOK OF PENDANT LIGHTS AND THE STATEMENT THEY BRING TO THE KITCHEN!
I AND AM GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE MOVED PAST THE DAYS OF THE LIGHTS WITH SMALL HANGING LAMP SHADES ON THEM FOR SURE!