How to Preserve Your Valuable Antique Collectibles?
In our last article – Graceful Antique Decor For Your Home, we discussed, how to deck up your home with beautiful antique collectibles. In this article, we are going to share with you some tips on how to take care of these prized decorative items so that they never lose their sheen and last you for years.
Cleaning and taking care of antiques calls for an extra bit of caution and carefulness. This is because, most of us tend to overclean antique decorative items in a bid to make them sparkle like newly collected articles. What we often forget in the scheme of things is that antiques are valued because of their age and old-world charm; If all these signs and symptoms of age and authenticity are removed, they’ll only lose their actual value, which is not intended at all. So how to go about the things?
- First thing is first, use utmost caution while handling your antique valuables. Metal made or delicate stuff- use a soft, old piece of linen or a brush to clean them up. Approach this job when you’ve sufficient time in your hand, because a moment of haste can destroy your prized possession.
- For the next step of cleaning, opt for the best and the most gentle cleanser available i.e. warm water. Clean a tiny little area of an article first – if you see it’s not changing its texture and color, go ahead, otherwise stop.
- Lime juice is also a fairly mild natural cleanser. You can use them to bring back the shine on antique armory or other metallic articles, but for porous materials and marble items – lemon juice is a strict “no no”.
- One percent dishwasher soap solution helps to soften even the most adamant dirt and grease on your favorite antique possession. You can also do a bit of gentle scrubbing with it to expedite the process – this won’t do much harm.
- Seek professional help if you do not find your homemade cleansers that effective.
On to the cleaning of specific antique types:
Sturdy metals
Try mild chemicals to remove light rust and encrustation, if you have tried cleaning them with lukewarm water and soap solution, but didn’t find them effective enough. And to polish brass articles, make a paste of equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar, and rub on them with a soft cloth.
Antique jewelry
Cleaning with hot water works fine with antique gold and silver jewelries. You can also use vermilion powder to make them shine. Wrapping jewelries in anti-tarnish cloth helps protect them from pollutants and scratches.
Glass antiques
Such decorative items are best preserved with lukewarm water with a little proprietary cleaner added into it. But never ever use dishwasher to cleanse your delicate glasswares.
Pottery and porcelain
At first, use a branded aerosol of compressed air to remove the surface dust. Then, if necessary, wash them with gentle washing-up liquid diluted amply with warm water.
Antique furniture
Use a damp cloth and butcher’s wax to shine up your antique furniture. Wax, when applied with a soft paintbrush, is said to work wonders in refurbishing wooden antiques.
Antique rugs and carpets
These are best handled by the professionals. But still if you want to give it a try at home, employ a vacuum pump (to be avoided at the first place preferably) with low suction power to remove the dust in them. But do avoid using foam cleaners or other chemical cleaners strictly, as these cleaning agents are said to affect the longevity of antique rug materials quite significantly.
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