How to clean your oil painting

To clean or refurbish an oil painting should be done by a professional. However, if you follow guidelines and instructions cleaning works of art can be easy. The guidelines below give instructions on how to clean oil paintings yourself. These are simple lessons on how to clean and refurbish your art. Having paintings cleaned by a professional can be costly. Therefore, cleaning a painting yourself saves money. By following these simple instructions and guidelines, your painting can last for years to come.

Guidelines and Instructions:

1.Directions for cleaning paintings emphasize the use of soft brushes to remove dirt.

Two guidelines for dusting oil paintings is to take care not to flex the canvas or to remove paint by bumping the painting. Also, loose flaking paint should not be dusted because paint-pieces can be swept away.

2. Instructions for cleaning the back of paintings involve brushing or vacuuming.

Steps for cleaning the back include removing the painting from its frame and placing it face down on a clean surface.
Next, dirt should be vacuumed using a small nozzie with a brush attachment. Other guidelines suggest pacling a cover on the back of the painting to prevent dust form accumulating behind the painting.

3. Important guidelines involve the addition of decorations.

Instructions include not adding decoration such as live plants around paintings as they can stain and damage frames and paintings. They also introduce pests and insects.

4. Guidelines and instructions involve the removal of surface dirt.

If surface dirt cannot be removed by dusting, instructions to follow include the use of cotton swabs dampened with distilled water. This should be lightly rolled on the surface to remove dirt.

5. Everyday cleaning of paintings.

For regular upkeep of paintings, buy a very soft brush from a local art supply store and use this to gently dust the painting regularly. When done, always store the brush in a bag and do not use it for anything else.

Further, do not use polish wax, or oils with the brush when cleaning your painting.

6. Painting care. When handling the painting it is best to hold by the hanger itself or by the mounting surface or frame. When moving your paintings around hold them by their edges and store them vertically against something so that the back of the artwork takes the weight, with the bottom of the artwork rested on a towel or folded sheet to prevent damage or chipping to the mount, frame or painting surface in the event it is an unframed piece.