After a couple of months, the covers of the ceiling light will collect a lot of dust. The might be dust on the inside as well. And that is quite normal because the covers can not usually make a total seal. When that happens, the light can get obstructed, which will make the light not capable of lighting up space properly.

Additionally, the light inside can get fused as well. It happened to us quite recently. And no matter what is the case for you, we urge you to first learn how to take off ceiling light cover before attempting anything. 

Wondering why are we saying that? Well, we attempted to take it off without having any idea once, and we managed to break the whole cover. And we certainly do not want you to have the same experience. That is why we have made this guide. So, give the whole article a read before climbing up there.

How To Take Off Ceiling Light Covers?

You might not know it, but there are three different types of light covers. One uses screws, the other will have a clip, while the last one will have neither of those two. To make things simple, we huddled this guide by describing the process of removing all three types of light covers.

Preliminary Steps

Below are the steps that will be applicable for all of the processes. In other words, you would need to follow these steps before the other process. And the steps are as follows:

Step 1: Get Yourself a Sturdy Ladder

Before anything else, you need to get yourself a sturdy ladder. Get the ones that are easier to set up and will be able to keep you balanced when you are on the steps. Even though it is possible to climb with a stool, we would recommend against it. However, if you are climbing with one of them, keep someone around you. 

No matter what you do, do not climb using a chair. That will increase the chances of you falling and getting yourself hurt. However, someone is holding on to the chair, and you do not have a stepping stool or ladder around; you can climb with a chair. But do be extra careful while climbing with it.

Step 2: Wear Gloves

To get a proper grasp of the cover, you need to wear some gloves. It will not only allow you to grip the cover properly but will keep your hands clean. We usually wear mechanical gloves. However, that is not something that all people might have.

So, if you do not have one of them, get the gloves from your garden and wear them. They will also do a proper job of offering you some extra traction. And that extra traction can make it easier to handle and rotate the cover. We do not recommend trying to work with the cover without wearing any gloves.

For The Covers That Have Screws

The light covers that have screws are the most common type. They are widely used and are readily accessible in the market. That being said, here are the steps that you would need to follow to remove it:

Step 1: Climb the Ladder and Hold the Cover with One Hand

First of all, climb the ladder and get to the right height. By right height, we are basically referring to the one where you can easily reach the cover. Once you are in such a position, you would need to hold the cover with one hand. 

Make sure that you are holding it properly, or else it might fall straight down and break when you carry out the next step. And if it falls, the chances of its being shattered will be exceptionally high.

Step 2: Unscrew with the Other Hand

By holding the cover with one hand, you would need to begin the unscrewing process with the other. For example, if you are right-handed, you would want to hold the cover with your left hand and work on unscrewing the knob with the right hand.

Step 3: Look for the Washer

After unscrewing the knob, you need to look for a washer. It basically holds the glass in place and tries to make a proper seal inside, eliminating the chances of the outside dust getting inside. However, do note that not all of the covers are going to utilize a washer. Some might not have them.

Nonetheless, if you find one, you would need to remove it with the cover. But if there is none, just loosen the lid by unscrewing it.

Step 4: Remove the Cover

Once you feel the lid is loose, pull it down with your two hands. However, do not pull with too much pressure because if it is still screwed to the threads, you might risk damaging the mount.

For The Covers That Does Not Have Screws

Glass light covers that do not have screws are not that uncommon. But they are not that easy to install and remove either. So, go through these steps properly before attempting to remove them.

Step 1: Get Firm Grip

After climbing up the ladder, you will first need to get a firm grip over the cover. For this, we would recommend using both of your hands. As there is no knob to turn, the traction will be your best friend here. So, if you still did not wear any gloves, it would be the best time to get some.

Step 2: Rotate

Yes, we know that there are no screws. But some of these covers might still be screwed to the mounts. That means you would need to try to rotate it left. If, for some reason, it does not want to rotate, but it is still stuck to the mount, move along to the next step.

Step 3: Bump It with a Shoe

Usually, these light covers tend to get stuck to the mount pretty easily. But do not worry, we know how to make it unstuck. All you are going to need is a rubber shoe. Make sure that the toe region of the shoe is not that hard, or else it will just break the glass.

Take the shoe and slightly bump the lid. Do not use too much force because you might risk breaking the lid. Also, the hardware might get damaged inside for the impact as well. A light bump should do the trick, and you should end up with the cover removed.

For the Covers That Have Clips

Like the covers with screws, most of the housings will use covers that have a clip. And the processes that we are going to discuss below are for those covers:

Step 1: Firmly hold the cover

Like the rest of the processes, you would first need to get a proper hold. However, in this step, you need to use one of your hands. We recommend using the left hand if you are right-handed for holding the cover. But if you are left-handed, use the right hand to get carry out the other steps properly.

Step 2: Find the Loose Clip and Pull It

There should be a clip that would state “loose” on it. As in, it will have a label that will say “loose.” You need to find it. It might be on any of the sides. So, if you can not find it, consider looking through all of the sides.

Once you get your eyes on it, pull it. Sometimes, the clip might not come with even if you pull on it. That would mean that it is stuck for some reason. In that case, we would recommend getting a soft rubber shoe and bumping the lid lightly with it. That would do a proper job of making the clip come loose. Then pull it.

You should be using your right hand in this step if you are right-handed and your left hand if you are a lefty.

Step 3: Firmly and Gently Pull Down the Glass

Once you could get the loose clip out of place, it would be time to pull on the glass. Here, you would need to cover with both of your hands. As you are wearing gloves, it will be easier to get a firm grip over the lid.

Firmly hold it and gently pull it down. Again, do not use too much force to pull the lid because you will risk damaging it. A gentle pull should do the trick. Once you can get it off the slot, put it somewhere safe and do what you have to do.

Final Words

As you can see, learning how to take off ceiling light cover is pretty easy stuff. All it takes is five to six steps, and you should end up with the cover removed. But do make sure to follow the steps properly, or else the lid might get damaged, and you might have to purchase a new one.