Caring for Bauhaus Lamps: Nickel Plating, Glass Shafts, Opal Shades

A Bauhaus table lamp is made of very few materials, and each one asks for slightly different handling: clear glass, nickel plating, chrome, black lacquer, polished aluminium and a shade of opal glass. This guide explains how to clean the WG 24, WA 24, WA 23 SW and SF 28 from TECNOLUMEN without dulling the plating, scratching the glass or straining the shade, and how often each part really needs attention.

Before you touch the lamp: switch off and wait

Every routine starts the same way. Switch the lamp off, pull the plug and let the shade cool completely. Opal glass holds heat for a while after the light goes out, and a warm shade meeting a cool damp cloth is an avoidable stress on the glass.

Clear a space on a table and lay down a folded towel. With pieces this small (the WG 24 Bauhaus Table Lamp measures 180 x 360 mm and weighs 1.8 kg), a towel gives the glass base plate and the shade something soft to land on if a hand slips, and it keeps grit from the desk away from the plating.

Gather only what you need: two or three soft, lint-free cloths, a soft brush such as a clean make-up or camera brush, lukewarm water and a little mild washing-up liquid. Nothing abrasive, nothing scented with solvent, nothing that promises to polish.

The opal-glass shade: dust often, wash rarely

All four lamps share the same idea of light: a milky opal-glass shade that turns the bulb into an even glow. On the WG 24 and its siblings it is a hand-blown hemisphere; on the SF 28 it is an opal-glass hemisphere of Ø 160 mm sitting below a metal cap. Dust settles as a thin grey film on the upper curve, and the glow turns slightly flat.

For regular care, dust is all there is to remove. Once a week or so, run a soft brush or a dry lint-free cloth over the shade in light, sweeping strokes from the top outwards. That alone keeps most shades clear for months.

If the shade has picked up a greasy film (common near a kitchen or in a room where candles burn), a gentle wash is fine. Lift the shade off following the instructions supplied with your lamp, supporting it with both hands, never by the rim alone. Wash it by hand in lukewarm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, rinse in clean water of the same temperature, and dry it with a lint-free cloth. Then leave it upside down on the towel until it is completely dry inside before refitting. Avoid the dishwasher, scouring sponges and anything gritty: opal glass can take a fine haze of scratches that becomes visible as soon as light passes through it.

The WG 24's glass base and shaft, and the WA 24

The WG 24 is the most transparent of Wilhelm Wagenfeld's 1924 lamps. Its clear glass base plate, Ø 152 mm, and its glass shaft around a metal tube let you see exactly how the lamp is built, which is also why it shows every smear. The WA 24 Bauhaus Table Lamp follows the same principle with a round base of Ø 160 mm, a shaft and nickel-plated metal parts, finished with a pull-cord switch.

Wipe with a lint-free cloth barely dampened with water, then buff dry straight away with a second dry cloth so that no water marks remain.

Never spray anything directly onto the lamp. Liquid runs down the shaft towards the joint and the cable entry. Apply moisture to the cloth, not to the glass. Keep an eye on the edges of the base plate too. Glass edges chip more easily than flat faces, so set the lamp down gently and avoid dragging it across a stone or glass tabletop.

Nickel plating, chrome and black lacquer

Nickel plating is a thin layer of metal over a base metal. It has a soft, slightly warm sheen, different from the colder brightness of chrome, and it is the finish on the fittings of the WG 24, the WA 24 and the WA 23 SW Bauhaus Table Lamp. Because the layer is thin, the one thing that will damage it is abrasion. Metal polishes, cream cleansers, scouring pads and even rough paper towels slowly wear the plating, and once it has been rubbed through, it cannot be put back with a cloth.

The safe routine is short. Dust with a dry soft cloth. For fingerprints, use a cloth just dampened with water, or with a drop of washing-up liquid if the marks are greasy, then dry and buff lightly with a clean cloth. A soft brush reaches the grooves of the threaded collars and shade holder. A gentle buff is enough; the warm sheen is part of the finish.

The black-lacquered base of the WA 23 SW (Ø 160 mm, on a lamp of 180 x 360 mm) is more forgiving of fingerprints than the plated parts but shows dust and fine scratches. Dust it with a soft dry cloth, and if needed wipe with a barely damp cloth and dry it at once. Avoid solvents of any kind on lacquer. TECNOLUMEN numbers each WA 23 SW consecutively under the base, and the WG 24 and WA 24 carry the Bauhaus and TECNOLUMEN marks; clean around these marks gently rather than scrubbing them.

The SF 28: polished aluminium and a cap held by friction

The SF 28 Bauhaus Table Lamp dates from 1928 and mixes more finishes than the Wagenfeld lamps: chromed and black-lacquered metal, polished aluminium and the opal-glass hemisphere. Its defining detail is the metal cap that rests on the glass sphere and is held in place by friction alone, so you tilt it by hand to direct the light.

That friction fit is worth protecting. Clean the cap and the glass where they meet with a dry or barely damp cloth, and make sure both are completely dry before you set the cap back in position; moisture or a residue of washing-up liquid between metal and glass changes how smoothly it moves. Polished aluminium marks easily, so treat it like the nickel: soft cloth, no polish, no abrasives. The chromed parts can be wiped and buffed in the same way, and the black-lacquered base needs only dusting and an occasional damp wipe.

A simple routine through the year

A rhythm that suits most homes:

• Weekly: brush or dry-dust the opal shade and the metal fittings with the lamp off and cool.
• Monthly: wipe the WG 24's glass base and shaft with a barely damp lint-free cloth and buff dry; remove fingerprints from nickel and chrome the same way.
• Once or twice a year: lift off and hand-wash the opal shade, then dry it fully before refitting.
• Always: no abrasives, no metal polish, no sprays aimed at the lamp, and no water near the cable or switch.

When you replace a bulb, use the type and rating given in the instructions supplied with your lamp, and change it with the lamp unplugged and the old bulb cool. If a part is loose, cracked or the cable is damaged, stop using the lamp and have it looked at by a qualified electrician rather than tightening fittings yourself.

Opal glass behaves the same way on Danish designs as it does on German ones, so if you also live with a Louis Poulsen lamp, our guide to cleaning PH lamps and opal shades follows the same principles. To compare the WG 24, WA 24, WA 23 SW and SF 28 with other designs for the desk, sideboard and bedside, see the full Table Lamps collection.