since antiques have been passed down from one generation to the next, these items without difficulty undergo daily wear and tear. Any antique item demands considerable care to preserve as well as protect its timeless value.
While a professional antique restorer is recommended for additional intricate and detail-oriented method of antique restoration, you be able also do your part to help maintain the artistic and historical value of your collection. Read on some tips on how to clean precious antique pieces.
cruise sunlight is a no-no for antique furniture. You should never display antique furniture in direct sunlight or beside air-conditioning or heating units. The heat that comes from these sources can deteriorate the fragile state of the antique piece. Place antique furniture in cool areas or superior yet ask antique experts of how to properly display your piece. Note that various types of wood need various temperature to maintain its elegance.
Use soft, lint-free cloth for polishing. Soft and lint-free cloth should be used when polishing antique pieces. You must never polish antiques the way you may polish your modern pieces. bear in mind that antiques are old and can easily be torn, scratched or broken if mishandled.
Move antique furniture with care. because of the furniture's sensitive condition, you should only move antique pieces when you really have to and only with utmost care. Otherwise, let the furniture stay in one corner of your house to lessen the probability of accidental breaking.
Only your hands when dealing with antique ceramics or glass. Cleaning antique ceramics and glass is quite obvious just by using lint-free cloth for ordinary dusting. However, unlike antique furniture pieces, wearing protective gloves in handling antique ceramic and glass is not advisable. It is additional appropriate to handle antiques of this type using your clean hands. It is wonderful to know that sunlight and humidity would not affect the condition of some antique ceramics and glass. To determine sensitive antique items, you must seek the advice of an antique expert.
Store antique ceramics or glass in sturdy shelves. The most common trouble with antique ceramic or glass is breakdown. Therefore, extra care should be given in its storage. You must never place antique ceramic or glass in unstable cabinets. In case of accidental breakage, place each piece even the smallest one in acid-free tissue and bring to an experienced antique restorer. You should never repair damaged antique pieces on your own to avoid devaluation.
Regularly polish antique silver and metal pieces. Antique silver and metal items are very delicate. Antique items made from these materials can react to natural conditions and may result to corrosion, scratches, dents and fractures. General and proper cleaning through polishing with soft cloth will reduce the trouble of maintaining the items' patina. You must use protective gloves when handling antique silver and metal to avoid tarnishing due to body sweat.
Store antique jewellery separately. Antique jewellery is extremely delicate. A piece of jewellery is possible to be made up of many types of precious stone or metal in which one would adversely affect each one other through time. This is why you should not store various pieces of antique jewellery in just one box. Make sure that you have a separate box for each one piece to avoid chemical reaction.
Hire the expertise of an antique jeweler. Small jewellery pieces make it almost impossible to clean, so an experienced jeweler specializing in antiques is recommended to handle these items.
Antiques Historical Value