Not taking extreme precaution when cleaning an oil painting results in damage.
Improper cleaning or restoration destroys more oil paintings than fire. The care and technique required to clean and restore an oil painting must be precise. Using the wrong materials on oil paintings degrades the quality of the work. While you can clean and restore a run-of-the-mill oil painting yourself, always enlist the services of a professional for valuable pieces of art.
Instructions
Cleaning
1. Remove the oil painting from the frame to ensure you clean the entire painting and to prevent damage to the frame.
2. Spray mildew cleaner - the kind used for everyday household cleaning that contains the ingredient sodium hypochloride - onto a cotton ball and use it to clean mildew from the oil painting. Rub the mildewed areas of the painting with the cotton ball, replacing it with a fresh one when needed, until the mildew is gone. Wipe the cleaner off with a water dipped sponge.
3. Clean the painting by cutting an onion in half and rubbing the open end of the onion all over the painting. Wipe the onion off of the painting with a wet sponge. This method is used for light cleaning.
4. Use a heavier cleaning solution in the form of a sponge wet with warm water and lemon detergent, which cleans smoke from the painting. Finish by rubbing the painting with a clean, wet sponge.
Repairing Cracks
5. Cut a piece of new canvas slightly larger than the crack in the existing canvas.
6. Flip over the oil painting on a soft surface. Pull the cracked canvas until it is completely back into its original place and secure it by affixing the new canvas to the old one with hide glue. Apply the glue to the new piece of canvas and completely cover the old piece.
7. Hold the new piece of canvas in place for a few moments while the glue adheres to the canvas. Check to see that the front of the canvas is completely repaired and no additional fixes are needed. Depending on the severity of the crack the painting itself may need repairs with oil paint, which should be done by a professional.
8. Frame your oil painting and display it in its original location.
