Do You Need New Outdoor Lighting?
Outdoor lighting is important for so many reasons.
- Safety – for you & your family, visitors, and neighbors
- Security – for you & your family, visitors, and neighbors
- Aesthetics – a well it home stands out and, if well planned, can be really beautiful.
There are so many outdoor lighting options that we homeowners can create amazing landscapes and showcase our home’s exterior in any way we can imagine! Being a homeowner who prefers to buy less & enjoy more of what I already have, I’m always looking for ways to maintain & beautify my home both inside & out.
When it comes to outdoor lighting, I’ve found an efficient & effective way to clean & beautify what we already have instead of buying new. It’s super simple and you probably already have everything you need to make your outdoor lighting look brand new.
Just take a look at the difference in the photos below. These lights are the originals that were installed when the house was built in 2012.
How To Easily Clean Outdoor Light Fixtures So Look Like New
We have 3 light fixtures on the front of our home. 2 are completely exposed to the elements while 1 is under the covered front porch. All of them get very dusty, dirty, and sometimes full of cobwebs.
When spring comes I want them clean and sparkling. They are metal with glass inserts so in the past I have been hesitant to use anything on them because of the mix of materials. Normally I’d just hose them down but the black metal needs a lot more than just water to make them sparkle & shine.
So this year, after brushing off as much dirt and grime as my hand broom could handle, I hosed off the lights from the top only so that no water could get inside the housing.
Then I decided to try something new. Every year I have to clean & shine the black plastic planters at the front door. I started out using a jar of vaseline that I’d had for years (I stopped using vaseline ages ago but couldn’t bring myself to throw out what was left in the jar), then switched to WD-40 which really works wonders.
BUT WD-40 runs. That’s great for cleaning planter pots because the drips make it easy to use less for more coverage down the pot. But for the lights, I would have to protect the glass & spray very slowly and carefully to prevent drips.
I wanted this to be a lazy project honestly. So I went rummaging through hubby’s car stuff and found the answer! Spray on tire shine like armor all! He uses the brand below because he says it shines better for longer.
And guess what?! He’s right! It also stays put right where you spray it and doesn’t drip at all. SCORE!
By the time I found this, all my fixtures where dry. I gave the metal a good spray all around, trying to avoid the glass as much as possible. I didn’t worry about it too much, just tried not to spray the glass directly.
Look at the shine on this outdoor lighting fixture! It looks new again!
Here are a couple of shots of the fixture near the front door. This method worked so well, so quick & easy, I used it on the planters too.
Since I saved money not having to buy new wall mounted outdoor lighting, I was able to focus on upgrading spot lights instead. After 10 years, the front of our home has the look we want – it’s a simple but elegant outdoor lighting design. Now we wait for all the beautiful foliage to come back this spring!
