Lots of time and preparation goes into any plan for installing outdoor garden lights. There’s hours spent designing the layout, shopping for the exact right lighting fixtures, installing the transformer, and running wires. However, once all of these initial steps are done, some people just turn their lights on at night and forget about them. They sit outside all year with no attention until their performance suffers and they don’t shine as brightly or effectively as they once did. However, with the right tools and a minimum amount of time, you can keep your lights shining and looking as great as they did when you first bought them.

The first thing that you can do to keep your garden light the envy of everyone who visits your home is to clean them once every three months. To make this easy, just try to clean your lights once a season. This will get rid of all the dirt, pollen, and other kinds of grime that will inevitably become stuck to your lights. If you don’t clean your lights regularly, this grime becomes harder and harder to scrub off when you do get around to cleaning them. In the meantime, your lights will lose much of their luster because they have to shine through a hazy of dust on the bulb. You will be doing yourself a favor in the long run by making sure they stay clean by using a bottle of Windex and a few paper towels four times a year.

When you’re cleaning your lights, you should also make sure to check the cords and other electrical cables that you have running to the lights. Make sure they aren’t frayed or damaged in any way. While outdoor lights run on a very low current and the danger of electrocution is low, a bare wire can still give you a jolt, especially to younger children. This also prevents against the wires completely fraying and leaving you in the dark at an inopportune time.

Another concern is making sure that the cords running to your lights are either buried or out of sight. Make a thorough inspection of this once every three months, but also try to keep an eye on it throughout the year. Loose cables can be tripped over by children and even yourself, leading to not only skinned knees, but possibly also pulling light fixtures from their brackets and breaking them. Pets may also chew on the cords, damaging them and maybe even shocking your pets. Protect your family by making sure to keep the cords out of sight.

Finally, if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow every year, you should consider bringing your garden lights inside, perhaps storing them in portable closets, during the winter. This will prevent them from getting damaged or crushed underneath the snow and ice and will also prevent you from not seeing them and inadvertently stepping on them through the snow.

Outdoor garden lights add property value and curbside appeal to your home. However the lights and the electrical system that runs power to them needs upkeep even after they have been installed. If you do do the required maintenance on your lights and the lighting system it will be shining as bright as the day you installed it for years to come.

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Filed under: Garden Lighting Tips

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