How to clean a salt lamp

So, you’ve finally gotten your very own salt lamp and are excited to start using it! That’s great news, but before you do, have a read through this salt lamp maintenance guide.

Although salt lamps are very durable items and can last decades if used correctly, incorrect usage could lead to many problems including frequent bulb fuses, broken cords or in the worst-case scenario (if you really went out of your way to mishandle it) you may start a fire! 

But with that said, don’t fret, most of this is easily avoidable with some basic – almost common sense – handling and care precautions. If there’s anything you’d like to know that is not on this guide, please let us know and we will gladly add it.

Quick note, if you’re not an avid reader and just want the gist of it, skip to the summary section to get just the most important tips and notes every lamp owner should know.

Quick Jump Menu

1. Installation Instructions – How to Put Together Your Lamp
2. 5 things you should never do with your lamp!
3. Drying excess moisture from “crying” lamp
4. Cleaning a dirty lamp
5. Changing your lamps light bulb
6. Your lamp became wet, what to do next
7. How to store your lamp away safely
8. 3 must know pro-tips for salt lamp owners
9. Maintenance summary

Installation Instructions: How to Assemble Your Himalayan Salt Lamp

Before we get into the do’s and don’ts of salt lamps, the very first thing you will need to know is how to safely and properly put it together. When you first get your lamp it won’t be assembled and ready to use. A few basic steps to assemble it are needed.

Step 1 – Let’s unpack and setup this white Himalayan salt lamp. First remove the plastic cover off the lamp.

Step 2 – Make sure you throw away the silica gel packet that comes with the lamp, this is to keep the lamp dry during transport. Silica gel is toxic if ingested, so dispose of it without breaking the packet.

Step 3 – Your salt lamp should come with a screw in bulb like the one shown below. Make sure your cord is unplugged and go ahead and screw in the bulb into the globe holder.

Step 4 – Now it’s time to insert the bulb and globe holder into the lamp, through the bottom. Carefully squeeze the metal spring arms of the globe holder together and insert it into the opening.

Step 5 – Make sure the wire goes through one of the pre-cut wire snips in the base. Once done carefully place lamp wherever you want, the metal arms will prevent the bulb from falling out.

Step 6 – You can now plug in the lamp switch it on. If you are going to move it around make sure to turn the lamp off before you move it around. And that’s pretty much it!

TIP: When moving your lamp from one place to another, make sure you turn it off and move it slowly, without any sudden movements. This is because the bulb clashing against the inside of the lamp from sudden movements is one of the leading causes of bulbs fusing in salt lamps.

Top 5 Do Not Do's for Your Salt Lamp

Before we begin going over what you need to do to make the best use out of your lamp it is important to highlight the things that you should NOT do.

There are several things that you need to be careful of as a salt lamp owner, since they do naturally “suck in” moisture from the air.

Because of this there are some thing you definitely should not do with salt lamps:

1. Do not place your salt lamp in a room/area with naturally high moisture levels, like the bathroom, the laundry, the basement or attic, and the kitchen.

   In these environments your lamps will collect excessive moisture and start dripping. This will lead to damage of the lamp, the base and the cord and bulb fitting as well. It could also damage the furniture surface because the salt water will 'drip' on it, staining it.

   Also, do not put your salt lamp on top of electronics, like microwaves, TV's, or Speakers. This is again, to prevent the moisture dripping from to enter into and ruin your electronics.

   There are ways around this which we discuss later in the article - click here.

2. Do not leave your lamp exposed to the elements for extended periods, this includes outdoors areas, patios, lawns, open shed’s or next to open windows or doors.

   For the same reasons as above, your lamp will collect and pool too much moisture in an open area with freely moving air.

3. Do not wash your lamp directly with water, never wash your lamp with running water or submerge in water.

   This is a pretty obvious one but just in case someone missed it we had to say it. After all is said and done your lamp is made of salt, salt dissolves in water.

   Washing your salt lamp will cause it to start glistening and become more quartz like. It doesn't ruin the lamp but it's not what salt lamps were made for.

4. Do not place your marble-based lamps directly on glass, wooden or leather surfaces as they will scratch the surface, always place them on a placemat, check out this page for some great placemats to go along with your lamp.
5. Do not place your lamp right next to loud speakers as the strong vibration can cause the bulb inside to hit the inside of the lamp and become displaced/fuse. Or it can shake violently the filament once again causing it to fuse.

You should also read our article on the dangers of salt lamps, if you want to know other possible things to look out for while buying and using a salt lamp.

Drying Excess Moisture From a Leaking Salt Lamp

The above DO NOT tips are great for keeping your lamp in shipshape, however no matter what you do it is unavoidable that eventually your lamp will collect some moisture on it’s surface, or dirt and dust, or both!

When it collects water on the surface it’s referred to as leaking, melting or even “crying”. So how do you prevent your salt lamp leaking water? Follow this simple 3 step guide.

1. Keep your lamp on!
   Our number one tip for keeping preventing your salt lamps from sweating is to keep your lamp on for at least 16 hours a day, every day. Keeping it on 24/7 would be even better!

   Keeping your lamp on keeps the salt block warm and evaporates any excess moisture. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “isn’t that going to cost a lot?” well the truth is salt lamp bulbs use very little energy, if you kept them on all year it would still only cost $10, so feel free to keep it on all the time.

   Salt lamps do not have an expiry or use limit!

2. Turn your lamp off!
   Your lamp can start crying if it is left off for long times or placed next to an open window or high moisture environment. You need to dry this out, but before you do make sure your lamps is switched off.

   Take a dry lint-free cloth and gently dab the surface of the lamp until it’s dry. The salt lamp surface is rough so If you wipe instead of dab and use a cloth with lint or a paper towel it will scrape off onto the lamp and break of tiny bits of the salt lamp rock as well, so avoid doing that.

   An old cotton shirt should do the trick just fine.

3. Turn your lamp on again!
   Once you have dried your lamp, turn it back on so that it heats up and any remaining moisture is evaporated off.

How to Clean Your Salt Lamp

In case your lamps get’s dirty for any reason, don’t worry there’s a simple fix. Follow this 6-step guide to get your lamp shiny clean again!

1. Take a clean cloth and wet it with water. Make sure the lamp is off before proceeding.
2. Wring the water out of the cloth as much as you can, making sure it’s as lightly damp as possible, and certainly not "wet".
3. With the damp cloth dab off the dust from the lamp, do not scrub. Scrubbing will smooth out the salt lamp surface making it shinier looking, and removing the rustic rough natural look of the salt.
4. For the greasier and tougher pieces of dirt, you may have to use more force and scour the surface vigorously. Do not use metallic utensils to scratch the lamp surface, as it will cause damage.
5. Once cleaned, use a clean dry cloth to dab it dry.
6. Turn the lamp on again to let the remaining moisture evaporate and voila! Your lamp is clean and good as new.

Your Lamp is Flickering or Fused, Now What?

So you’ve got your new lamp you turned it on and everything looks great, except, suddenly it starts to flicker, and before you know it the lamp just completely turns off. This can happen for three reasons:

1. The bulb cracked.
   Inspect the bulb, if it has a smoky white film covering the inside of the bulb, it means that the bulb likely cracked, usually from rough handling of the lamp where the bulb strikes the inside of the lamp.

   To avoid this, you need to turn the lamp off before you move it, making sure one hand is placed underneath to prevent shaking of the bulb.

   Our salt lamps come with a special cord and base unlike most sellers, where the cord is especially designed to "lock in" to the lamp and prevent shaking or internal collision of the lamp and bulb.

   This is much safer and makes the chances of bulbs cracking or cord damage far less. See Our Lamps page to get an idea of what we mean.

2. The bulb fused.
   If the bulb has no white film inside but is still fused, check to see if the filament is broken, or shake it and listen for a ringing sound, if you do hear a ringing sound that means the bulb has fused.
3. The cord became damaged.
   If you don't keep your salt lamp on and use it regularly, the inside of the lamp can start to collect moisture, and if that moisture enters the globe holder it can cause the cord to malfunction. To check this you will need to change bulbs and use a new bulb. If it still doesn't work you may need to replace the cord.

So you've figured out that you need a new bulb, how do you change it? Good question. Follow this simple trouble shooting guide to have your lamp back up and lit up:

1. Turn the lamp off and unplug the cord! Before you do anything in this guide it is essential to make sure that your lamp is switched off AND unplugged form the power cord.
2. Carefully pull out the bulb fixture from the bottom of the lamp.
3. You need to replace the bulb with a replacement bulb of similar wattage:

• for our lamps under 7kg use a 15-watt or 25-watt bulbs.
• for our lamps over 7kg use 25-watt bulbs
• for our lamps over 25kg use 40-watt or 60-watt bulbs.

Do not use a bulb of higher wattage on a smaller lamp as they can overheat and cause issues. However lower wattage bulbs on larger lamps are okay to use. 

1. Make sure the fused bulb is left to cool for 2 minutes before touching it.
2. Once it’s cool, you can unscrew the bulb and replace it with a new bulb.
3. Place the globe holder with the new bulb back in the lamp, clip the cord in place if you have base safety clips like our lamps do (see Our Lamps page for a picture and more information on base safety clips) and then you’re good to go!

When it comes to salt lamps, BULBS are a big factor in the quality and longevity of the lamp. Not all salt lamp bulbs are great, many sellers cut costs and source the cheapest and lowest quality bulbs, we do the opposite. See Our Lamps page to learn about the best bulbs available for a salt lamp.

For any lamp 7kg or below a 15-watt bulb is perfect. We recommend you get a pack of bulbs like our 6 pack of 15 watt salt lamp replacement bulbs, especially designed to last. For lamps 7kg to 25kg we recommend a 25-watt bulb, you can check our 6 pack of our 25-watt bulbs as well.

P.S. If your lamp is frequently fusing, or if your lamp does light up even with new bulbs, you likely have a faulty cord, to remedy this you will need to get a replacement cord for your lamp.

Note: Getting the RIGHT replacement cord.

If you are in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore or the United Kingdom, your salt lamp cord should come with an E14 bulb base globe holder (the same ones we sell)

If you are in the United States, Canada you will need to get a cord with an E12 bulb base globe holder, which is slightly thinner than the E14.

What to do If Your Lamp Becomes Wet

If your lamp get’s completely wet somehow , turn it off and unplug it immediately, remove the cord and bulb from the lamp, and place both the lamp and the cord+bulb in sunlight for several hours until it is dry.

Once dry you can brush the lamp lightly with a dry cloth, to remove the salt crystals formed from the drying water and then reassemble your lamp for use again.

The Proper Way to Store Away Your Lamp (Long-term)

So, you’ve decided to put away your salt lamp for some time, it happens, but there’s a right and wrong way to do it. Don’t just put it in storage along with all your other items because it will collect water and erode over time.

If you are going to store your lamp for an extended period of time (more than 1 week) then place it in an air-tight plastic bag, preferably a sealable one, so it doesn’t collect any moisture.

You can also use cling wrap or multiple shopping bags one on top of the other. Then you can have it stored for as long as you want.

Top 3 Pro-Tips Every Himalayan Salt Lamp Owner MUST Know!

So now you know what not to do, and what to do if something goes wrong, these next three tips are all about what you SHOULD do. Use these three pro-tips to get the best use out of your lamp!

1. Get a dimmer cord.
   We highly recommend that if you get a lamp you get one with a dimmer. Apart from the great benefit of being able to control the light intensity to suit your needs, it makes it so much easier to keep the lamp on 24/7.

   If you for some reason wanted to dim it, it can become completely inconspicuous, where as with an on/off switch it will have to stay at maximum brightness through out the day!

   Not to mention, a dimmed salt lamp is a much better nightlight than a fully lit one. All of our lamps come with dimmers by default.

1. Place tealights around the base.
   Another way to keep your lamp base dry in moist weather is to place tealight candles around the base, four should do.

   These will keep the lamp base heated and evaporate any water trickling down. Not only that but it looks great too!

1. Use place-mats under your lamps.
   Always keep a placemat or small dish under your lamp. This has two benefits. Firstly, it will protect your furniture from getting any scratches.

   Secondly it will collect any moisture that may trickle down from your lamp, saving you the hassle of having to wipe it clean every time.

Maintenance Summary

If you didn’t read the whole article, or if you’re in a hurry and just want the gist of it, fear not, we’ve made a succinct summary of lamp care tips that you can skim through below.

The Do Not’s

1. Do not place your lamp in bathrooms, kitchens or other high moisture areas.
2. Do not place your lamp next to loud speakers, or on top of electronics.
3. Do not expose your lamp to the elements (outdoor areas) for extended periods of time.
4. Do not wash your lamp under water or with running water.
5. Do not drag your lamp on furniture as it will cause scratches, it is best to use placemats with your salt lamps.

Precautions to Take with Your Lamp.

1. Whenever handling your lamp, moving it around, changing bulbs or cleaning it, make sure your lamp is switched off and unplugged.
2. When storing your lamp away make sure you wrap it in a plastic bag first.
3. Only use a damp (but not wet) cloth to clean the surface of your lamp.

The Do’s

1. Do use placemats/coasters with all of your lamps if you can.
2. Do get your lamp with a dimmer and keep your lamp on as much as possible.
3. Do pat your lamp dry if it collects excess moisture.
4. Do handle the electrical cord and bulb with care as mishandling can cause fusing of bulbs.

With all of that said, don’t let this information overwhelm you, really salt lamps are quite easy to maintain and use and should be fun to own. We hope this article has answered any questions you may have had, leave a comment below to share your thoughts and experiences with using salt lamps.

If you haven't got a salt lamp yet or are looking to buy another one you can visit our home page and browse through our most popular lamps. Follow this link buy salt lamps, you should also visit Our Lamps page to learn more about what makes our lamps special and different, and why they are built to last unlike many other sellers. 

We hope you enjoyed this read!

From, The Salt Lamp Shop