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There are some tips that you can follow on how to clean the pictures and paintings, without damaging the painting itself.
PICTURES AND MIRRORS should be dusted along with the furniture and cleaned thoroughly about twice a year. Use a piece of soft cloth or chamois, squeezed as dry as possible out of cool water containing a little vinegar or ammonia. Be very careful not to let any water seep under the frame to make a stain. Polish the glass with another soft cloth or dry chamois leather. TREAT WOODEN FRAMES as you would furniture of the same finish. FOR GILDED FRAMES, when they need more than dusting, use a little dry cleaning fluid on a soft cloth. This is better than solutions made with water. Gilded surfaces are made by covering the frame with a thin layer of gold leaf, or a thin gold coating in liquid or powder form. This delicate finish is easily damaged. FINE OIL PAINTINGS should be cleaned only by an expert. They can be dusted by brushing them lightly with a soft clean brush or with a piece of absorbent cotton. PAINTINGS NOT ESPECIALLY VALUABLE and in good condition, can be cleaned of surface dirt by a simple home method: place the painting against a surface that gives it firm and uniform support, then go over it carefully with a pad of cotton or a clean soft brush moistened with cleaning fluid of the flammable type. If the surface looks dull after cleaning, it can be brightened by applying very carefully a fine quality wax emulsion cream furniture polish. Follow the directions given for the polish. These instructions are from an art museum no other treatment is recommended for home use. WATER COLOR PAINTINGS cannot be cleaned. PIANOS. In discussing furniture we have already told how the exterior of a fine new piano should be treated (see Index). Old pianos with waxed or varnished finishes can be treated like ordinary furniture. Clean piano keys by wiping them with a soft cloth, slightly dampened, and wipe them dry immediately. Ivory used for piano keys is especially bleached to make it white. The natural color is an off-white slightly yellow and ultimately this tint returns. There is no recommended way to whiten yellowed keys at home; they can be scraped and refinished at the factory. Keeping the keyboard closed when the piano is not in use helps to keep the keys from yellowing. ASK YOUR TUNER TO CLEAN THE INSIDE OF YOUR PIANO occasionally. This helps to prevent corrosion of the strings and pegs, and damage to the wool felts from moths. Camphor may be put inside the piano to discourage moths, but in a place where it does not affect the metal or wood finish, or obstruct the action of any part. Pianos left for any length of time in an unoccupied house should be safeguarded against moths and also against moisture. Put a lot of newspapers inside to absorb dampness and cover the piano with heavy flannel or a cotton blanket. Vases and other objects tend to mark the cases; better not put them on your piano. In our home, pictures and mirrors should be dusted regularly, use the soft squeezed cloth to clean the pictures and the mirrors. For gilded frames, use dry cleaning fluid on a soft cloth. Fine Oil painting can be dusted but it should be cleaned by an expert. While, watercolor paintings cannot be cleaned. |
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