How to Clean a Painting?

Question

i found a painting i really like at an antique store and it is really dirty, i think a person that owned it was a smoker and it has nicotine stain on it..

Answer 1

Brianna,
It's very important you locate an art restorer to clean your painting. You can ruin art by trying to clean it yourself. Restorers have a degree in chemistry to learn how to do this well. It is expensive, but if you love the painting, it's worth every penny. Here are two articles I found online for you:

http://www.artsmia.org/restoration-online

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/projects_on_the_job/bu121504s1.shtml

Answer 2

I expect you know professionals can do this better than you can but that is not your question. Still good advice to not do it yourself.

This site is helpful:
http://www.angel-art-house.com/artblog/2007/05/how-to-clean-oil-paintings.html

Little addition to the tips they give.
1)Roll the q-tips yourself. That way you have a more workable size (stick and cotton) and it is cheaper.
2) Work from the bottom to the top.
3) In one place it says wipe. NEVER wipe, always roll your swab.
4) Take your time and do small pieces at a time. Do not do the complete painting on a Sunday afternoon. This is painstakingly slow work and may take a load of Sundays to complete.
5) Did I mention to take your time? (That is the main reason why it is so expensive when you let a professional do it)

Answer 3

Listen to Jeanne Brianna: The dust, and grime and soot and smoke can cover the whole of the painting and when it is cleaned improperly you can actually remove art work with the dirt. There are layers of scumblings, and glazes to a well worked painting and they are thin, THIN layers that can be removed with simple soap and water! This will take away from the overall effect of the artists work. Because you will be removing nuances of the artists work.
Even if there are no glazes, and the artists has not scumbled his/her work, the solvents in a common soap can still take the top layer of the hues from the canvas.