Tips for Maintaining Your Neon Sign
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Business signage is very important when it comes to attracting customers and maintaining unique branding for the store. There are many types of signs available but a neon sign is one of the most attractive signs that you can use for the store front and inside the store.
But when you purchase a neon sign, you should have an idea of how to maintain it. With good maintenance, you will be able to have the sign in good shape for more than a decade. Not many people are aware of how to maintain a neon sign and lack of care can mean replacing the sign sooner than necessary. The attraction of a neon sign is its clear glass like appearance. While these were traditionally glass, they are now made with clear acrylic that still keeps true to the traditional aesthetic. So when there is dust and grime on the sign which is apt to get collected especially if your sign is outdoors on a busy street, the sign starts to look less bright. It can look very uninviting and this can create a negative impression on your store as well. For the first step of the cleaning process, you need to unplug the sign. These don’t get hot and are safe to touch but this way you can be more careful. Use a vacuum with a brush attachment to collect the dust. You can also use a feather duster.
Take a soft cloth and wipe the tubes down. If there are areas that are hard to reach, you can use a small paintbrush or even a toothbrush. You can also use old socks to wipe the neon sign when it has collected dust. To get rid of light stains, you can use a soft cloth moistened with water. If the sign is kept outdoors, you will have a bit more work to do as these can collect more dust. If the sign is kept near a grill or in a smoking area, it will also collect nicotine stains and grease. These will be a little harder to get rid of. You need to use an ammonia based cleaner to get rid of the grime. But take care to wipe the tubes gently and after the cleaner, you can wipe it away with a moist cloth. Neon signs tend to attract bugs especially if they are kept outside. To prevent the sign from being blocked, consider placing a bug zapper near the sign.
There are also commercial cleaners that are formulated especially for signage. You can use these for tough stains as well. Make sure you test this on a corner of the sign to check if it peels off the paint. It is recommended not to have your sign on at all times other than the times required for cleaning and repairing. Unplugging the sign continuously can cause the transformer to wear off quicker so it is recommended to keep it plugged in all the time to ensure long lasting use. And as these signs are very efficient due to the use of LED, this will not affect the cost significantly. The sign also doesn’t get hot so it doesn’t contribute to a fire risk.