Don’t you just love how beautiful stained glass looks, especially when the light shines through it?

This is the reason why many churches and some office buildings, schools and apartment buildings use them for windows and domes.

Now, that’s something we can’t all have in our homes, but what you can easily buy are Tiffany ceiling lamps, which are also made of beautifully handcrafted stained glass.

These lamps, which are patterned after the lamps designed by Clara Driscoll and made by Louis Comfort Tiffany up until the 1930s, can be fitted into ceiling fans, in which case, the fans are called Tiffany ceiling fans, or can be hung individually. Either way, they can add charm and ambience to any room.

Of course, stained glass is only beautiful as long as it is clean. When it dust and dirt build up, the light won’t be able to shine through and bring out its colors, so the glass will just look dull and dreary.

One thing you should know, though, is that stained glass requires a special cleaning method. You can’t just pick up your regular house cleaner and clean it like you do any other piece of glass, since this glass is a special type that is combined with other materials.

Rather, here are some things you can try when cleaning your Tiffany ceiling lamps:

1. Dust the glass cover lightly once in a while. In fact, it is recommended that you only do a light cleaning of stained glass regularly, which should be enough to get rid of the dust, and save the heavy cleaning, or the wiping, for just once a year to preserve the quality of the glass.

2. If you are performing some heavy cleaning, simply use a washcloth soaked in water. Distilled water is preferred since tap water may contain fluoride, chlorine or other elements that can dull the glass.

3. Never use abrasive cleaning materials like steel wool or metal brushes or harsh cleaning agents like vinegar and ammonia. If you are planning to use a window cleaner or glass cleaner, make sure it does not contain ammonia first or it may affect the color of the glass.

4. Use a cotton swab to clean the edges in each piece of glass, which are usually the places where dust and cobwebs form, and which can be hard to reach with a plain washcloth.

5. Clean both sides of the cover. With stained glass windows and domes, you usually just have to clean the inside since the outside has a protective covering, not to mention, hard to reach, but with a stained glass cover, you can easily clean both the inside and outer surface.