I Restored These 105-Year-Old Chandeliers, and Now They Brighten My Whole Home

I’m a sucker for old or salvaged materials — from old trim and wavy windows to dressers with a little more patina than might be considered conventionally desirable. So when a friend was about to demo the interior of their 19th-century Victorian home, it was practically a given that I’d be the first to offer to take the vintage chandeliers and light fixtures off their hands.

But here’s the thing about these vintage pieces that have been sitting in a house unappreciated for years, if not decades. They’re questionably functioning, and they’re absolutely going to be covered in a few generations of dust and grime. 

Once I saw the fixtures sitting in a box, up close and personal, all I could do was push it aside and decide “this is a project for later.” But, with a little bit of motivation and a free evening (along with the pressure of the electrician coming the next day), I managed to clean these dirty, dusty chandeliers — and it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Here’s how I did it.

The first step in salvaging these vintage chandeliers was admitting when part of the process was beyond my skill level. I’ve previously rewired vintage lamps, which was a simple and cost-effective process. But a chandelier with multiple arms and remnants of wires winding through intricate brass details? I’m not too proud to say, I needed help. The fixtures went to a lamp repair shop, where they completely rewired the chandeliers and added new, fresh candle covers. The cleaning, however, was up to me. 

Before I sent the chandeliers to be repaired, I took detailed photos of the crystal placement and carefully removed them. This part of the process was perhaps the most intimidating and the easiest. Once the crystals were removed, they got a quick bath in a tub of warm water and gentle dish soap. After a few minutes of soaking, I removed them, rinsed them, and, much to my shock, they were sparkling clean. 

Once I had the chandelier body back in hand, it was clear the brass was still coated in dust, dirt, and tarnish. This wasn’t going to be such a straightforward assignment. I read online that ketchup would take the tarnish right off, but I had to make an executive decision. Did I want to coat the newly rewired chandelier in tomato? 

No, I did not. So, instead, I decided to embrace the aged look and focus on cleaning. I used a microfiber cloth dampened with water and mild soap to carefully remove the dust and debris from the major components, then took a Q-tip to the most intricate details. I was able to remove the loose dirt and visible grime without removing the patina. 

The trickiest part of the entire process was re-hanging the crystals. Even with my photos, I’m not 100% sure I got it right, and carefully hanging each wire and tightening it was a tedious process. But, for the original investment of $0 and a rewiring fee of $100, this was a project that was absolutely worth the satisfaction and gorgeous end result of saving a chandelier that’s been around since the 1920s.