An art collectors guide to keeping your painting clean, dust free and safe from harm.

Please note that these care tips are relevant to the oil and cold wax paintings that I make and sell. My paintings are oil and cold wax on primed board and canvas.

Equipment that you will need in your art cleaning kit.

A soft natural bristle brush like the type you get at the hardware shop for applying varnish, I like one 3 – 5 cm wide.

A soft microfibre cloth.

This should be enough for general cleaning and care.

If you have had an absolute catastrophe, like tomato soup or coffee splashes, or (this really happened) bat poop coloured with purple mulberries is deposited onto your painting by a bat that found it’s way inside on a windy night, don’t panic! There are solutions to these problems too, keep reading.

Regular general dusting.

This is the first place to start. Regularly dust your painting with the soft varnish brush. Don’t press hard.

Use a very slightly damp microfibre cloth with dabbing movements (definitely no scrubbing) to remove any loose dust left after brushing.

Cleaning a dirtier painting.

If the dust on your painting has been there a while, and isn’t playing along with the brushing and dabbing mentioned above, you may need to break out the soap. You want a very mild soap. A good old-fashioned bar of green Sunlight soap does the trick.

Work a small amount of soap into your microfibre cloth and squeeze it out well. Use dabbing motions to move stubborn dirt.

Rinse the cloth well and squeeze out again. “Rinse” the painting by dabbing with the clean damp cloth. Repeat the “rinsing process”, gently, until all the dust has been removed from the painting.

Safe hanging and handling.

All of my oil and cold wax paintings are painting with archival quality materials, however, it is still not a good idea to hang your painting in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight, over time, can cause pigments to fade.

Also, avoid storing your oil and cold wax painting in very hot places, like an uninsulated garage or in your car on a hot day. Cold wax is stable at normal room temperatures, but will start to soften at 50°C.

Transport and storage.

If you are moving with a painting, here’s what to do.

Cover the surface of the painting with acid-free tissue paper, wax paper (the type you wrap sandwiches up in) or glassine paper.

Use cardboard corner protectors.

Wrap the whole thing up in bubble wrap (bubbles on the inside) and seal any openings well to avoid dust getting in.

If you have a plastic wrap dispenser, make it completely dust proof by adding a layer of plastic wrap.

Catastrophes

If you’ve had an accident with one of my paintings that you can’t deal with, please do get in touch with me. I’m more than happy to help you save one of my babies. As fast action may be needed, WhatsApp me on 084 584 3757 (South Africa) and I will respond as quickly as I can.