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.
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.
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:
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.
For the same reasons as above, your lamp will collect and pool too much moisture in an open area with freely moving air.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
These will keep the lamp base heated and evaporate any water trickling down. Not only that but it looks great too!
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
Precautions to Take with Your Lamp.
The Do’s
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
