The outdoor light fixtures of your home need cleaning too! Here's the ins and outs of how to clean them properly!
You're constantly cleaning the inside of your house from everything that gets dragged in from outside. Well what about some of the things that are ALWAYS outside?
You probably have your home pressure washed once a year or so, but have you ever thought about cleaning the outdoor light fixtures you have around your home?
Outdoor light fixtures, as stationary objects, constantly get dirty with grime as they sit exposed to the elements all year long. This build up can impact the look of your home and the function of the light.
It's important to remember to clean your outdoor light fixtures just like everything else in your home, so here's some of the best things to keep in mind as you do it.
How to clean outdoor lights
There are a lot of different types of outdoor lights, but they can all be cleaned the same way. For the most part, using soapy water to clean the fixture and clean water to wipe it away is the best way to clean outdoor light fixtures.
If you're cleaning anything that is plugged in or hardwired, it's best to turn off the power first just to be safe. While these lights are outdoors and get rained on, you don't want to be intentionally dousing them with water while they are active.
How to clean fixed outdoor lights
To clean fixed outdoor lights, start with a bowl or bucket of soapy water and a washcloth. Using a delicate circular brushing motion, scrub all surfaces of the light.
You'll want to be sure to clean the base that is fixed the the house, the arm and the light fixture itself on all sides. It's a good idea to also clean the lightbulb itself so you get better glow.
If your light fixture has glass panes, remove the lightbulb from inside and wipe down both the inside and outside of the glass panes so they are clear on both sides. You wouldn't realize how dirty they can get on the inside too!
When you're done, use the clean water bucket and a new damp washcloth and wipe off the soapy water until it's cleaned off.
Here's how to repaint a rusty outdoor light fixture with spray paint!
*Note- if you're cleaning a gas lamp, make sure to turn off the flame and the gas before cleaning as the fixture can be very hot!
How to clean solar lights
If you have a nice outdoor space, you probably have a selection of solar pathway lights or solar spotlights in your yard. These obviously work from the small solar panel charging the inner battery with the power of the sun.
However, if the panel isn't cleaned, the panel can't collect sunlight properly and impacts whether the light works or not. Like look at this panel that clearly wasn't charging.
Using soapy water, scrub the solar panel of your solar lights until the caked on grime, dirt and pollen is removed. Don't forget to clean the plastic casing where the light shines through too!
Then clean it off with the clean water rag. This works for pathway lights or lights that are on your stair caps or any light with a small solar panel.
Here's how to install solar post caps to light your stairs!
How to clean string lights
I'll be honest with you. Cleaning string lights is the worst job. Why? Because there's a million of them.
But if you have string lights hanging in your yard or on your porch, the bulbs will get really dirty. The wires will get dirty too, but those you can just wipe down with a rag.
Did you know you can hang string lights in your yard even without trees?
If you really want to clean your solar lights, unscrew each one and scrub it down with the soapy rag and then rinse it off with the clean water rag. This can be really tedious with that many bulbs on a strand, but it's well worth it for better lighting.
Cleaning outdoor light fixtures
Cleaning your outdoor light fixtures is a great item to add to your spring home maintenance checklist. After the pollen has dropped, your light fixtures are extra dirty, so this is a great yearly task.
Take the time to clean all of your outdoor lights once a year to keep them shining bright for enjoying your time outside!
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Hey there, I'm Sean, the woodworking enthusiast and builder behind CharlestonCrafted.com! Since 2012, I've been sharing the magic of turning raw materials into beautiful creations. I love teaching others the art and satisfaction of woodworking and DIY. I try to inspire fellow crafters to make something extraordinary out of nothing at all.
