How to clean a painting

By: The Art Of Painting (Paintings) on 07/02/2010

Hanging there on a wall of your house, paintings are exposed to all impurities that the air contains. It is important to know how to clean a painting for prolonging its life and alongside with this, the beauty of your house. There are several aspects to take into account when we are talking about paintings maintenance and the first of them is the value of the painting. Depending on its value, you can choose the suitable method of cleaning it.

If your painting has a museum value or one close by, it would be pure insanity to try to clean it yourself. The best solution in this case is to take it to painting cleaning and restoration professionals. The more valuable a painting is, the more crucial it becomes for the cleaning to be done by a pro. They will know exactly how to clean a painting, using the suitable tools and substances, after a careful examination of the support the painting is made on and the composition of the painting applied. What is also advantageous in taking a valuable painting to specialists in order to be cleaned is that, this way, they will take responsibility for the services provided, and in case of damage, you will be reimbursed. If the damage is made by you at home, you can kiss goodbye any of the value of your painting. But above any financial loss or gain, the importance of taking a painting to be cleaned by specialists relates to its value as a piece of art. Any painting should receive specialized care, but we all know that sometimes this can be very expensive and not justified by the financial value of the painting.

So, in case we are not dealing with a museum value painting, we can try to clean it ourselves. It is advisable though to get some recommendations on how to clean a painting from people who are familiar with this kind of work. Get some recommendations from museums, galleries or antiques shop staff. And if you can't do this stick with simple methods that will not jeopardize the quality of the painting. Some basics of how to clean a painting are the following:
. Avoid detergents and soap for oil paintings as they can destroy colors; stick with these substances, but in low quantities, for acrylic paintings.
. Always clean first only a small surface of the painting. Allow some time to pass in order to observe if any damage is made.
. Go gently with painting cleaning in order to avoid cracking of the surface.
. Do not use great quantity of water or hot water. Just dip a scrap of fabric into water and gently touch the surface with it.
. If you are wondering how to clean a painting with the minimum damage risk possible, the answer is this: use a soft brush, so soft that would not leave scratches in the painting's surface. This is not a method for deep thorough cleaning, but rather for dusting it.
. Clean the painting in a ventilated area, especially if you are using water or other liquid solutions in order for these ones to dry fast.

This is the ABC of how to clean a painting. Try do-it-yourself cleaning methods only if you are willing to take the risk of damaging the painting. Even so, every once in a while you should turn to professional painting cleaning providers, in order to make your painting shine more and longer.

Tags: paintings painting