How to Clean African Ivory Art

Put on white cotton gloves before handling ivory, as it will absorb skin oils and change color. You may not be able to restore these areas.

Brush the ivory with a soft paint brush. Wipe the piece with soft cotton cloth if the brush does not remove all of the dirt. Do not use a lot of pressure, especially near scrimshaw (inked lines), as damage may not be repairable.

Use a white vinyl eraser if the brush and cloth are not enough to clean the item. Check that the eraser is pure vinyl. Other forms of erasers may have chemicals in them that can damage the ivory. Use a clean kitchen chocolate or zest grater, which has been used for nothing else, to grate a small portion of the eraser. Gently rub the grated eraser on the soiled area of the ivory, avoiding any scrimshaw. If there are areas that do not come clean, gently rub the soiled area with the un-grated portion of the eraser. Avoid putting pressure on the eraser, as too much pressure can damage the ivory. Brush off all eraser particles when finished.

Swab the ivory with a cotton cloth that has been dampened with alcohol if there are areas that the eraser did not clean. Make sure your cloth is damp but not wet. Do not use pressure on the ivory, and avoid inked designs. Wipe the ivory dry right away after swabbing with alcohol. If your piece still does not come clean, consider taking it to a professional to have it cleaned or restored.

Consider waxing the item, once clean, to protect it from damage. Wax the ivory using clear beeswax. Never used colored wax. There are two ways you can wax ivory. Warm a portion of the wax and rub it gently across the ivory, or dip a cotton cloth in the warm wax and gently rub the piece with the waxed cloth. Be careful around scrimshaw so as not to spread or chip the ink. Waxing should be performed annually after cleaning the ivory.