How can I refresh my white lampshade?

Paint it!

Paint over the entire thing with white latex paint or spray paint.

Hi Syl, you might try one of thoe "Tide-To-Go" stain removal pens if the lampshade is fabric. It might work even if the shade is of paper product. Worth a try, perhaps? The pens are available in the laundry aisle of most grocery or big box stores.

RECOVER IT WITH ANOTHER PIECE OF MATERIAL YOU CAN THINK OUT OF THE BOX WITH WHATEVER KIND OF MATERIAL YOU WANT AS LONG ITS NOT FLIMSY AND BURN....I RECOVERED MY POLE LAMP SHADE WITH A NICE PATTERN BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT ANOTHER WHITE LAMP SHADE IN THE ROOM....AS LONG AS YOU STILL HAVE LIGHT COMING OUT OF THE LAMP....MY OTHER 2 LAMP SHADES WERE $50 EACH....AND I WILL KEEP THEM UNTIL THEY ROT AS MUCH AS THEY COST AND I THINK $100 IS A LOT FOR LAMP SHADES...JUST SAVE THE OLD MATERIAL FROM THE LAMP SHADES AND USE THAT FOR A PATTERN....LOVE TO SEE A PICTURE...I ALSO MADE A PATTERN OUT OF A PAPER BAG

AND USED THAT TO SEE IF IT WRAPPED AROUND AND WIRE FRAME, SINCE I AM NOT A SEAMSTRESS...THEN CUT THE MATERIAL THE SIZE OF THE PAPER PATTERN..

GOOD LUCK....

10-16-2020

I've stenciled shades for a fun look.

You could try an Oxyclean (hydrogen based bleach to remove the stains, follow the directions on the container...or just paint it.

Here are ways to clean the stains off your lampshade and if the stains remain you can always paint it

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-clean-lampshades/#:~:text=To%20clean%20a%20stained%20fabric,for%20a%20couple%20of%20minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD6gRHZGIlY

Try an upholstery cleaner. I found one on QVC that is great. It's by Campanelli and you point & shoot at the stain. It got some stains out of a chair that were blotchy. I had all but given up.

Don't paint it. It will leave streaks and you will see them when you turn on the light. I would try a good upholstery cleaner. You can get a really good one at the auto stores, for car seats.

There are some good cleaning tips for lampshades here;

https://www.pooky.com/2019/04/22/how-to-clean-a-fabric-lampshade

You can add white chalk paint.

Some time ago, I read here on Hometalk about a stain remover called Zout. I bought a bottle in the laundry aisle of Walmart and I have to say, it is pretty fabulous. I have been able to remove a lot of difficult stains with it. You might try spritzing the shade with Zout, scrub with a toothbrush, rinse, and repeat as necessary. Please let us know if you are successful with any of these suggestions.

Agree with Dee that the brush marks from trying to paint the shade will show through when you turn the light on, which may be distracting.

If the shade is damaged/stained only in small areas and not the whole shade, putting embellishments over the selected areas is one way of hiding them and making the whole shade more attractive. Here are some examples:

Hello. Is it a fabric shade or a paper shade?

I have spray paint both fabric and paper shades. The paper shades probably take the paint the best the painted fabric shades look somewhat fuzzy like felt.

Using norwex cleaning paste on them should do the trick. You can find it online.

You can spray paint it a dark color. That would cover up the stains and give the lampshade a new look.

This video tutorial should help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H89N8wpjK28

Hello Syl, you can start by removing the stains, Combine a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid with warm water. Dampen a clean microfiber cloth with your soapy water. Gently wipe the shade clean. Let the shade dry completely, and buff out any streaks with a dry microfiber cloth before putting it back into place.

Then give it a bath,

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/clean-old-yellowed-lampshade-91359.html

Hello,

I always go to wet wipes. Best wishes.