Many tanning bed owners may not realize that tanning bed bulbs have a shelf life, and the more hours they clock under the lights, the less time-efficient their tanning sessions may become. This means spending more time in a tanning bed to keep the same great tan as before. Of course, when juggling a career, family, and social obligations, making time for tanning comes at a premium, even if you have a bed at home and don't need to schedule around a tanning salon's other clients. This means it is important to change the bulbs at regular intervalsmost people find that every 500 hours is optimal even though many bulbs may actually last 8002,000 hours.

Equally important to changing bulbs at regular intervals is to change all the bulbs at the same time. This is because the new bulb will burn brighter than the other bulbs and you may find it leaves a strip of skin tanned darker or burned. Remember, the older the tanning bed bulb is, the less efficient it is, so when you replace it, you will want to spend less time in the bed for the first several hours. Increase your tanning sessions as your bulbs age to maintain the same golden tan year round.

Don't let the cost of replacing tanning bed lamps keep you from changing them either. Look at it this way. If a full set of lights cost you $400, you change them every 500 hours, and you normally tan for 20 minutes per session, your average bulb cost is less than $.30 per tan, as opposed to an average of $5 to $10 per visit at your local salon. Even after factoring in the cost of the bed and electricity used per tanning session, residential tanning beds are a bargain!

Maximize your tanning experience by replacing the tanning bed bulbs at regular intervals to optimize your tan per session. The cost is minimal compared to the savings gained by properly maintaining your tanning bed, and you will be rewarded with an amazing tan for months to come.