Clean an Oil Painting
Oil paintings are a unique and sensitive media. They can collect dirt and stains over time, though, and you might be at a loss on how to clean them — you can't use water, paint thinner, alcohol, or any abrasive force. Fear not, though! It's simple to bring out the original vibrancy of your oil painting. All you need is a little saliva or some bread.
Contents
Steps
Use Spit
- Buy several cotton swabs. Using your spit to clean a work of art might seem both crazy and profane, but it's a method museum curators around the world use. Saliva has enough enzymes to break down dirt and grime, but not so much that it will damage the paint. It'll take a lot of cotton swabs, though, so stock up with a full box.
- Be aware that this method takes some patience — ask a museum intern how many hours it can take to clean a large painting this way. (Hint: It's more than 2.) But if you want to meticulously clean your painting with almost zero risk of damage to the oils, this is the way to go.
- Lightly wet the swab with your spit. You don't want the cotton soaking wet, but it should be wet enough to pick up any dirt particles with ease.
- Gently dab the wet cotton over the painting. Don't move the cotton from side to side, but instead up and down in small, soft dotting motions. Aim to work around a square inch at a time.
- Wet the other end of the swab. Once the first end has picked up so much dirt that it's no longer useful, move on to the other end. When that one is dirty, discard the swab and move on to the next.
- Keep a glass of water handy. You should be working slowly enough that you don't feel like you're running out of saliva. Just in case your mouth does start to get dry, though, take a sip of water and wait a minute or two before going back for more spit.
Professional advice from an art conservator is that the bread method is NOT recommended. The above saliva method is approved and generally safe, but care and caution are recommended. Movement of the cotton should be in the direction of the brush strokes. One shouldn't eat within an hour of using this method, or drink anything but water during the process. Cotton swabs can be used, but making your own from bulk cotton and bamboo skewers is recommended.
Use Bread
- Buy a doughy bread. A loaf or two, or more, depending on the paintings and their size.
- Work on a large white surface outside or inside in a controlled area.
- Grab the center of the pieces of bread
- Lightly dab and brush the bread against the paint. It should absorb the dirt or whatever imperfection that was added over time.
- Clear away crumbs. Use a soft brush, like a soft house paint brush, to remove the crumbs from the bread and clean the painting of the bread.
- Keep up maintenance. Check for anything you may have missed, and do this on a lighter scale on a regular basis to keep your paintings in the best conditions.
- Finished.
Tips
- Conservators refer to saliva as 'natural emulsifier'. They often keep a little jar on hand. You should be sure there are no condition issues with your paintings first, as any cleaning method could result in paint loss. Pay careful attention to how well the oil paint is adhered to the canvas. Take any painting with condition issues to a professional conservator. If they do suggest repairs, seek a second opinion. Today's technology makes conservation easier, but you are taking someone in trust with a valuable object, either monetarily or sentimentally prized. Good luck!
- Use this method for surface dirt only
Warnings
- Cleaning of high-value paintings should be left to a competent professional conservator or restorer
Related Articles
- Oil Paint
- Clean a Paintbrush
- Clean Small Marble Objects
- Make Oil Paints Work Like Watercolors
