Stained Glass is fragile and should be handled with care at all times. It should be displayed safely where it can’t be bumped into, knocked over or played with.
Lead Disclaimer
All my stained glass pieces, unless otherwise specially created or noted, contain lead. This is nothing to be overly concerned about- simply wash your hands with warm water and soap after handling. Lead is only harmful if ingested or inhaled and not when minimally handled. DO NOT lick, serve food on or eat off of the stained glass. Please keep out of reach of children and pets.
Hanging Tips
Please Please Please DO NOT use suction cups to hang your new stained glass ornament or suncatcher in your window! I know it’s super tempting to do so, but trust me, the suction cup will fail. Maybe not today, or even tomorrow but one slip or rise in temperature or humidity and now your suction cup has popped off and there’s broken glass on the floor. Broken glass on the floor is nobody’s favorite thing.
Please DO hang your new stained glass ornament or suncatcher from a nail or screw hook securely attached to a strong piece of wood such as a wall stud or the top of your window molding.
Cleaning Tips
Stained glass is glass lovingly cut and arranged and soldered together with metals such as lead, tin, zinc and sometimes copper. It is perfectly natural for these metals to change color over time. This is air and the general atmosphere interacting with the metal resulting in oxidation or tarnish. This is nothing to worry about. If you have any silver jewelry or spoons or even shiny new pennies I’m sure you’ve noticed them get darker over time. It’s not necessary to polish your piece on a regular basis, but if the change in color bothers you it’s easy enough to clean.
Make sure to NEVER use an ammonia based cleaner such as windex or any acid based cleaner because this may cause damage visually and structurally to your stained glass piece. A mild dish soap on a soft sponge (no scrubbies!) and a good rinse works best. If hard water is a problem in your home, use bottled or distilled water when cleaning as hard water can cause temporary discoloration of the metals. Make sure your piece is completely dry, then follow with a gentle polishing with beeswax or Brazilian carnauba car wax to help seal the metals and make the piece shine. Make sure to only use very soft cloths such as microfiber so as not to scratch the metal! Also remember to use a dedicated cleaning sponge or cloth and never one you use for dishes. If your piece has somehow gotten very dirty then an old toothbrush is good for scrubbing and soft enough to not cause scratch damage.
Please note however, if your stained glass has a patina (generally a black or copper coloring applied to the solder) any cleaning could remove this and leave you with the natural silver tone of the lead, tin or zinc.