Thanks for stopping by my website. My name is Annabelle Collins. My husband and I live in a large house with our two teenage children. We’re fortunate in that we’re able to have a cleaning service come and clean on a weekly basis. In the past, I found that it was difficult for me to exert myself when it came to hiring and communicating with our cleaning service. I’ve never been very authoritative, and that shone through in a not good way. I wanted things to be done in a certain way, but found it difficult to ask for what I wanted. I have come to realize that in order for the service to do the job I want to be done, I have to ask for it to happen. I doubt that I’m alone in the fact that this is difficult, and want to share my experience and growth.
Have you recently acquired an oil painting, but can't afford to have it maintained by a professional? Are looking for a few tips on how to handle your new fancy piece of artwork? If so, read on for everything you need to know about where to put your oil painting and how to care for it.
Placement
Texture is an important aspect of oil paintings so most are framed, but not behind glass. This leaves the surface of the painting prone to damage. While you want to place your artwork where it can be viewed by company, you also want to make sure it doesn't hang in an area that sees excessive air pollutants such as grease, dust, and smoke.
The kitchen is never a good room for an oil painting—it's hot and steamy, and leaves your painting susceptible to grease splatters. You should also avoid hanging your piece on any wall where breeze from the outdoors passes.
Instead, hang your artwork in a no-smoke room in your home that receives minimal traffic and can be closed off for better air and climate control.
Temperature & Humidity
Temperature fluctuations can cause the materials of your painting to stretch and contract, and humidity makes your painting sticky, turning it into a catch-all for debris in the air. Ideally, your oil painting should be kept in a low-humidity room that is between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The relative humidity of the room should never fluctuate more than 20 percent in 24 hours, and the temperature should never fluctuate more than 20 degrees in 24 hours.
If this sounds complicated, don't worry. Air conditioners work to both cool a room and remove humidity from it. Just hang your artwork in an air conditioned room and have the air conditioner serviced regularly to make sure it's cooling and dehumidifying at optimal performance. For more assistance, you can contact companies like A Bailey Plumbing.
Cleaning
It's not uncommon for bugs to make their way behind the frame of your oil painting -- there are several species that eat the fibers of both wood frames and painting canvases. Make sure you catch these critters before they have time to do any damage by periodically removing your painting from its frame and cleaning it.
Protect your painting from the oils in your skin by donning rubber gloves when cleaning it. Remove the canvas from its frame, and using the softest-bristle brush you can find, sweep your painting from the center outward, ever so gently. If you see any paint flakes coming off of your painting, stop immediately; you cannot clean it further without the help of a professional.
After you've dusted your painting, lay it face-up on a flat surface, being careful to only touch the edges of the canvas. Using a brush attachment, vacuum off your frame, paying close attention to the corners where bugs like to lay their eggs.
Finally, place your painting back in its frame and carefully place the frame back on the wall.
Trouble Spots
If, during the cleaning process you notice a stain on your painting, there's a simple trick you can use to gently remove it. A regular piece of bread does a great job of soaking up grease and other stains.
Just break off a small piece of bread and use the inside (not the crust) to gently rub the stain. Prevent smears by tossing that piece in the garbage as soon as it has picked up some of the stain and resume rubbing with a new bit of bread.
Finish the job by dusting away any remaining bread crumbs with a small, dry, soft-bristle paint brush.
You can still take good care of your new oil painting, even if you can't afford to have it professionally maintained. To make sure your new piece of artwork stays in tip-top shape, hang it in a safe place, control the temperature and humidity of the room it's in, and clean it regularly using the above technique.
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