LED strip lights are cheap alternatives to multi-colored lights. They can be used to decorate your room, create a changing ambiance and in general, beautify your environment. They are mostly used in patches along the ceiling to emit light and not be directly visible from the room. However, like any other object, prolonged usage may cause it to be damaged or just become dirty.
Things like dust and grime may accumulate on the surface of the led lights and result in the emitted light being dulled, yellowed, or less darkened. Therefore, it is important to know how to clean led light strips. Cleaning the foreign materials on your leg strip lights will ensure the lights will be operational for longer and ensure bright lights.
What Makes LED Light Strips Dirty?bul
As mentioned previously, the most common problem you will face is the accumulation of dust. Dust particles will settle on top of your led strip lights. Another big issue is the accumulation of grime. Grime settles when the environment is highly humid or has condensation.
If water settles on the led strip light, the mixture with dust will create grime and other foreign elements. Another way your led lights might be dirty is if it’s handled daily. This might create fingerprints on the lights which will add up overtime and leave smudges that will degrade the quality of the light emitted.
So, keeping these in check is an easy way to reduce the dirt on your led light strips. Still, some of these elements will pass through. Therefore, it is essential to know how to clean led light strips.
Why You Should Clean LED Light Strips
Nobody likes a dirty light stand. Especially with led strip lights, the dirt can cause discoloration or dimming of the lights. It’s also just not pleasant to keep any device unclean for long periods. Hygiene is important for the body as well as for your electronic devices.
1. Ensure Optimal Performance: Cleaner lights are brighter lights. If your lights are clean and smudge-free, you will enjoy better light quality. Keep your LED lighting fixtures clean so they can function as intended if you want to get the most out of them and benefit from their best performance.
2. Increasing Safety: If the lights are covered with dirt, heat may become trapped from the light not being able to escape. This may cause malfunction or in extreme cases, hazards to the environment if the light or device is strong enough.
3. Increasing Efficiency: Cleaner fixtures or covers will not block your light and heat. Therefore, your lighting is more efficient, and you will also enjoy the full extent of your lighting.
4. Making Maintenance Easier: Cleaning regularly is easier than cleaning a bulk amount of dirt and grease after a long time. It should be simple to remove small amounts of dust from your light fixtures if you keep a regular cleaning schedule. However, if you don’t clean your light fixtures, grime will collect and cake on. Even worse, grit could enter the internal workings of your LEDs and result in mechanical problems.
5. Increasing the Lifespan of Your Lights: Foreign elements will stick to your led strip lights and fixtures and cause them to malfunction. Smaller particles may cause damage to the wiring or mechanics and long-term exposure will make it highly probable for a mechanical failure. Therefore, keeping the strips clean will increase the lifespan of your led strip lights.
6. Make Your LED Light Strip Bright: Last but not the least, the brightness of your led strip lights will depend on whether the strip itself is clean and pristine. You should know how to clean led light strips because a cleaner strip will emit brighter light while an unclean one will block out the light and cause dimness.
Things You’ll Need To Clean LED Light Strips
This is as simple as cleaning any other device. There is nothing too fancy and you won’t need the technical skill to make circuit connections or change the resistance of a wire. You will need a few household items. If you are missing any of these items, you can just order off the internet or pay a visit to the local convenience store.
– A clean cloth
– Soap or dishwasher
– Water
– Brush
– Optional: Cleaning Gel
– Optional: A small vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment
Step by Step Process on How To Clean LED Light Strips
This article will now lay out a step-by-step procedure on how to clean led light strips.
1. Disconnect Your LED Strip Light Connection
The first step is to disconnect the wiring from the power source. It is always unwise to work on a live connection. Even though a small connection like an LED strip light will not fatally wound you, the wiring may be damaged accidentally.
2. Remove the LED Light from The Surface
The LED light strip must then be removed from its mounting surface. Peel the light strip off the surface if it has an adhesive backing. Remove any screws that are holding your light strip to the surface if it is mounted with screws. As you take the light strip off the wall, take care not to nick the wiring or the LEDs.
3. Vacuum the LED Strip
If you have the optional attachment, you can use it to vacuum the strip. If not, use your brush to gently remove any dust particles or debris from the surface or the strip.
4. Cleaning the Surface
After brushing or dusting off the light strip, you will want to clean the surface as well. Use the soft cloth and your soap to do this. It’s nothing complicated, just like your regular cleaning of the dishes only much gentler and on a smaller scale.
To get rid of any last bits of grime or dirt, gently wipe the surface of the light strip with the soapy cloth. Once the surface is clean, wipe it down and get rid of any soap scum with a dry cloth.
5. Using the Cleaning Gel
If your solution of soap or dishwasher liquid doesn’t work, you might want to try some sort of cleaning gel. These are designed to clean the toughest dirt from all over the surface. You can use the gel in a small amount on the light strip, wait for it to settle for a few minutes, and then use your dried cloth to wipe off the gel and the dirt.
6. Drying
It’s crucial to dry off your light strip after cleaning it. Simply wipe away any moisture with a clean, dry cloth. To help speed up the drying process, you can also use a hair dryer on the lowest setting. Dry your light strip completely before storing it because if it’s still wet, it might draw dirt and dust.
How Frequently Should I Clean My LED Light Strip?
Even if you know how to clean led light strips, it is a good idea to know when to clean your led strip lights and how frequently you should do it as well. It is best to be semi-regular in cleaning your light fixtures and led strip lights.
If you use it almost daily, you should clean it once a week. If it is occasionally used, once a month is still acceptable. It depends on your usage and how fast it gets dirty depending on your environment.
Tips and Warning for Cleaning LED Light Strips
Tips
– Use a lint-free cloth so that fibers don’t get stuck in the led strip light and might clog up the lights
– When using a liquid cleaner, use minimal amounts of it and don’t let it stay on for extended periods. Any excess liquid might damage the strip.
– Avoid using any sort of strong chemicals like acetone or alcohol. You can remove the dirt using household soap and dishwashers instead and avoid damaging the led strips.
Warning
– Avoid abrasive cleaners as they will undoubtedly damage your led strip light. Use Lighter cleaning agents or even a cleaning gel.
– Do not directly soak your LED strip into a cleaning agent. Rather apply smaller amounts and do not let them roll into any little corners.- Drying the led strip thoroughly is very important as moisture might ruin the usability of the led strip.
Frequently Asked Question
How do you make LED lights sticky again?
After removing the light chamber, the adhesive might not stick again. If that is the case, you can use any general glue or adhesive to stick the structure back onto the led strip.
Can LED light strips be reused?
Yes, LED strip lights can be removed and attached to another strip. There are ways to cut and reconnect the strip lights as well with clear markings on the strip.
Do LED strips damage walls?
Wall damage from LED strip lights is unlikely, but it depends on several factors. The toughness of their adhesive, the longevity of the paint or wallpaper they’ve been applied to, how long they’ve been there, and the environment can all affect how well LED strips adhere to a surface.
How long do LED strips last?
In general, a led strip light has a life expectancy of around 50,000 hours. As you keep using them, the brightness of the led will slowly go down and you will noticeably see the differences in emitted light.
Read also: Can You Cut LED Light Strips?
Conclusion
This article shows the importance of knowing how to clean led light strips. Led lights are easy to connect and use but they are also susceptible to damage from dust and foreign particles. It is important to keep your devices clean for them to operate efficiently and over a long time. So, keep an eye out for the dust accumulating on your lights and clean them as soon as possible!
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