How To Clean A Vintage Rain Lamp

Posted 7 years ago

antiquerose
(1437 items)

Thought I would post this. After about 35 years of hanging around -- I took a few hours to clean this lamp up. It had collected dust, dust bunnies, and smoke from over the years. It was still the original oil in it. I have never cleaned one -- and this was an item I have after my parents died. I always wanted to clean it up -- but was not sure how to do it. So from my experience -- this is how I did it:

First of all -- I did everything over the bathtub should there be any messes.

With a Pail in the bathtub, I turned the Lamp on it's side (over the Pail) and drained out the old oil and held it there for a while to get as much old oil out of it.

Then I hung it up on the Shower rod with a large S-hook in the chain. The Plants do not pull out of the holes - but rather the shoots of the plants pull off the base. A small base shoot stays in the bottom (do not try to pull that out) but the 5 or 6 leaf clumps on each plant pulls off. Time consuming -- but I figured it would be. I took the plants and washed them off squashing them in my hand with lots of soap and hot water. Let them dry on a cloth, then put them back in.

While the leaf clumps were drying, I cleaned the bottom area where the plants were PLUS cleaned all the Nylon strings with a cloth and Windex window cleaner on the cloth. I cleaned them till they squeaked. Seriously as after all the dust and nicotine was off them, they did squeak!!

Cleaned all the metal Rods going down to base, cleaned up by the light bulb. Cleaned around the outside too. Any dust bunnies on the strings, I pulled off (picked) with my fingers. Ran a cloth up/down first to collect all the dust in the middle of the nylon strings and not PLUG the top holes or the bottom holes with these.

Put the leaf clumps back into the leaf base shoot still on the bottom.

Went out and bought 3 - 500 ml of NEW MINERAL OIL. As I was not sure how much it would hold, and could not tell by the old stuff that came out as I am sure some of it had evaporated over the years. Never use water inside them -- ONLY MINERAL OIL!!

I did add 2 bottles ( 2 x 500ml) of mineral oil in the base. Just pour it in the bottom near the bigger hole.

Not sure IF I have room for another bottle -- but it is running Super again and Nice and Clean.

What a Job it was -- when you do not have the instructions any more and never have cleaned one. That is why I thought I would share -- as they CAN be cleaned up (with a few hours work.....LOL )

Thanks

Here is my other post on it:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/119719-my-raintree-lamp?in=749