Can I Clean Old Paintings at Home?

Risks

• Cleaning old paintings at home does involve some risk, as you can damage the original painting if you aren't careful. The problem with old paintings is that they are old and, in most cases, the current owner is not the artist, nor does he or she usually know the original artist. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine which materials were used to create the painting, making it hard to determine how to clean the painting from home. Therefore, if you are going to clean an old painting at home, make sure to take your time to reduce the risk of damaging the original piece of art.

Cleaning "Dusty" Paintings

• Some old paintings are fairly easy to clean, as they just need a layer of dust or other light debris removed from them. In this case, you should thoroughly examine the painting to make sure the paint is in good condition and not cracking or peeling. This will ensure that the paint won't come off. You can then get a very soft-bristle brush and lightly brush the painting. Another method you can use to clean dusty paintings is to take a soft-bristle vacuum brush and lightly go over the canvas.

Removing Stains and Sticky Substances

• If your painting has dirt stains and sticky substances on it, you can still clean it from home. Use a mild dish detergent mixed with a small amount of water to gently remove sticky substances and lighten dirt stains. Just be sure that you don't rub it; gently blot it instead. If you notice the color of the paint coming off, stop the procedure. Blot the painting dry, make sure all the soap is off the painting and then let it dry for several days afterward.

Removing Stained Varnish

• In many cases, the protective varnish used on old paintings is stained and needs to be removed before the original painting can be viewed. To do this from home, you will need to mix equal parts of alcohol and turpentine. Try it out in a small corner of the painting, gently dabbing with a cotton ball. If the color begins to fade, add more turpentine to the mixture. There are also other premade solvents you can purchase to remove stained varnish from home as well.