CLEANING Fine Collectables and Antiques etc.

How-To Do It:

Previously I reviewed the assorted things you might find under your kitchen sink -soaps and solvents & such as well as the rubby-scratchy things like steel wool.  Part 1 is Cleaning Things: Abrasives and Solvents  Very important to pull out the right stuff to clean valuable collectables and antiques.  Now we take up just what the right stuff is for specific things.


I need to begin by giving credit where credit is due.  Much of what follow is from two terrific books.  The first one is a scholarly -but friendly- book called SAVING STUFF -How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectables, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions. Written by Don Williams -the senior conservator at the Smithsonian Institution, and Louisa Jaggar.


The other one is more general, but full of great advice -particularly if you are a mean old tight-wad -as is your author.  It's Yankee Magazine's MAKE  IT  LAST -1000 Ingenious Ways to Extend the Life of Everything You Own, by Earl Proulx.  Now Earl is entirely too pragmatic to bother with preserving anything as silly as collectables, but clearly has every penny he ever earned and he still owns everything he ever owned.  And no matter how old the stuff (tools mostly) he owns, you can damn bet'cha it still works. (Comes to mind the story of t'other Yankee who claimed to own the fabled ax George Washington used to chop down the cherry tree.  Over the many years it was passed down from father to son to grandson etc.  Mind you, the handle had been replaced 'bout three or four times, and the steel twice, but it was sure-enough still George Washington's ax.) 

Earl's advice may not meet with full approval from the museum folks, but I like it so well that I have included some of it below.  It is noted with a big red *


But I wonder.  Here now are how to clean some specific things -materials actually, in terms of the solvent and abrasive you want to use.  (And don't forget my previous How-To article, Cleaning Things: Abrasives and Solvents.)
                                                                             
FINE PRINT IN BOLD LETTERS:
 If it's valuable you MUST know what you are doing.  If you don't know what you are doing, follow my advice on PRESERVATION  as best you can and leave well enough alone.  Or HIRE A PRO to clean it.  Most things will not be hurt by carefully storing them dirty. Store it carefully till you can afford to hire a pro -and if this takes 20 or 40 years, so be it.  It will just be all that much more valuable by then. (Except fabric. Probably best to clean fabric before you tuck it away.)                       

Painted items:
The problem here is that whatever solvent is OK to clean paint is apt to be hard on wood and visa-versa. Plastic, on the other hand, is chemically closer to paint -so what ever dissolves the schmutz -more then soap and water-, is apt to have some similar bad effect on the plastic underneath. This brings up another issue and that has to do with just what kind of paint it is.  Paints are basically pretty colorful powders suspended in some liquid that dries into something solid.  For some of the very oldest paints, this might be something out of the pantry -milk or eggs, for example.  Lest this seem a little tentative to you, ponder what fun it is to clean a dish with ossified egg dried onto it. The point here is -as always- go slowly and look very carefully at the surface -both the painted parts and the naked parts as you clean.   

PAINT -on wood:
Solvent:
 Paint thinner.  Go slowly here -unless the paint is milk-paint (dead flat -often on Shaker or Dutch woodwork), paint thinner is probably not doing to dissolve it. (Or at least dissolve it very quickly.) 
Abrasive:
Artist's brush
Cotton swabs etc.
NOTE:
If you are not sure about the paint, try water first, but be sure to dry it very carefully after you have cleaned the painted surface.  This way the grain will not have as much of a chance to rise.  Use a hair-dryer.

*Old Paint:  If an old piece of painted furniture is looking a little dull, and it's too valuable -or too much work- to refinish it, try some mineral oil on a soft cloth and elbow-grease.
   
PAINT -on plastic:
Solvent:
Distilled water
Triton 100 detergent
Abrasive:
Artist's brush
Cotton swabs etc.
NOTE:
Dry it quickly -especially if it's celluloid.  (See Vintage Plastic below.)
   
PAINT -on metal:
Solvent:
Distilled water
Triton 100 detergent
Abrasive:
Artist's brush
Cotton swabs etc.
NOTE:
Dry the water off (before it can rust the metal) with a hair dryer.
   
PAINT -enameled metal:
Solvent:
Paint thinner.  
Abrasive:
Artist's brush
Cotton swabs etc.
NOTE:
This stuff is pretty bullet-proof -being as it is what amounts to a thin layer of glass-like fired clay.
     
METAL:
Solvent:
Distilled water
Triton 100 detergent
Abrasive:
Artist's brush
Cotton swabs etc.
NOTE:
Dry the water off (before it can rust the metal) with a hair dryer.
    
Cast iron -pots & pans  -old mechanical banks:
Solvent:
Paint thinner 
Lacquer thinner for the stubborn schmutz, but don't use lacquer thinner on the painted parts.
Abrasive:
Steel wool or appropriately fine (or course) sandpaper.
Pumice powder.
NOTE:
Be careful around the painted bits -like on old banks.  See Painted Metal above.
Have at it. If you are sanding or steel-wooling by hand, it's likely your patience will give out before you do any damage.  But don't drop it -cast iron is brittle. Dry it quickly if you use water -for example if you have been wet sanding.  
Wet sanding with emery-cloth is a terrific way to take metal down to a perfect gleam.  It's also the BEST way to prepare steel etc. for a nice rusting.  
Black shoe-polish is a great way to fuss-up black cast iron, but don't cook with it ya' big dummy.   

Silver:
Solvent:
50 / 50 acetone / alcohol mixture  
Abrasive:
Ultra-fine polishing abrasive  i.e., "Powdered chalk" in the garden / hardware store, & "Whiting" in the art-supply store.
NOTE:
NEVER use cling wrap on silver.  it out-gasses chlorine which etches (destroys) silver.
 
   
*Pewter: It has a low melting point and tarnishes easily in a dishwasher -clean it by hand.  Use silver or brass polish, or a 2 T's ammonia in soapy water, or mild scouring powder in olive oil.
   
*Rubber and silver don't mix.  Rubber makes silver tarnish faster.  Wear plastic gloves when you clean silver, let it try on cloth -not a rubber mat or rack, and NEVER put rubber bands around your silver wear when you store it.
 
*Chlorine and ammonia don't mix.  For that matter don't mix lye, rust remover, toilet-bowl cleaners, or vinegar (vinegar?) with anything! Except water.  Maybe.  Outside.  On a windy day. And then do it down wind.  Ammonia and chlorine gas are poisonous.   Mixing lye (toilet-bowl-cleaner) and water gives of heat -so much heat that it can boil the water and boil over pretty violently.  A boiling concentrate alkaline solution in your face is the stuff of blindness and lifetime scars.  Always add the acid (or base) to the water, not the other way around. 
 
   
Vintage Plastic  (celluloid):
Interesting stuff celluloid, but not at all nice.  It was invented in 1856 and was the first plastic to hit the market, largely as a replacement for ivory.  Pretty much went out of favor by the 1950's.  Only place you find it now-a-days is ping-pong balls.  What is interesting is that it starts out life as cotton waste which is processed to become either celluloid, cellulosic lacquer, or gun cotton. Gun cotton is what they use to shoot big shells out of cannons on battleships.  Yep, gun cotton is explosive as is celluloid!  (And -for that matter-lacquer burns like a som'na-bitch too.)  Additionally, if it gets wet -and stays wet- it oozes nitric acid.  Nitric acid is not only corrosive as all hell, it is a powerful oxidizer as well.


There are stories (?) of celluloid queue-balls exploding and killing people.  Men's collars used to be made of celluloid.  But the most important celluloid for collectors is dolls. 


So here is what the pros have to say about celluloid.  It will break down.  Can't be helped -it can only be slowed down. As it breaks down, it out-gasses camphor -the stuff that make Campho Phenique smell like it does.  Store celluloid dolls in (swear-to-goodness) explosion proof cabinets or the freezer.  Clean it with distilled water, but understand the even water hastens the break-down into corrosive nitric acid.
 
       
Rubber:
Solvent:
Distilled water
Abrasive:
Sponge
NOTE:
Protect rubber stuff from light damage but you must  understand that it's also going to degrade no matter what you do with / about it.
       
   
Leather:
Solvent:
Distilled water
Triton 100
Non-conditioning liquid dish detergent.
Abrasive:
Cotton swabs etc. 
NOTE:
Oily treatments to keep leather supple and waterproof do little to preserve collectables.  But they do attract dust and insects.

*Earl sez to clean leather tabletops with 50 / 50 lemon juice and water.

*Mildew on leather:  Wipe it with 50 / 50 solution of rubbing alcohol.  Then hit it with neats-foot oil.       

Paper - old comic-books, documents, the Declaration of Independence etc. 
 

    DON'T DO IT!
     
    NO solvents
     
    Do NOT get it wet.
     
    Just DON'T do it!
     
    DON'T
 
For stuff you can't get wet, try a little CAREFUL work with a CLEAN MagicRub or Mars Staedtler  eraser.  (Iz'it true the British call erasers 'rubbers'?)  If it isn't a glossy photograph and/or an eraser isn't getting the job done, you had better know pre'zactly what you are doing when you try to clean and preserve something made out of paper.  If it is valuable, this is where you want to consult with an expert. The folks at Gaylord Brothers take this business pretty seriously.  They also offer  excellent on-line (free!) Preservation Resources for all things paper. 

If you get heavy handed with the eraser and tear a page do NOT slap Scotch-tape over the tear.  The tape will eventually turn to slime.  Repair it from the back if you must, and use something from Gaylord Brothers to do it right.     

Photographs:
Solvent:
distilled water
Abrasive:
cotton swabs
NOTE:
Understand that photographic prints were (and still are) developed in chemicals dissolved in water, to a little distilled water might be all it takes to get the coffee stains off without damaging the picture. But -as always- start slowly -in an uninteresting corner for instance.

*Photo-albums that smell like a new shower curtain are made out of cheap plastic. Only buy the ones that don't smell. 

*Label photos by writing or typing on a stick-on label BEFORE you stick it on, and NEVER write on the back of a photo.  Or -if you must- use a soft lead pencil and write as lightly as possible.

*Smelly Stuff / Books:  Actually, I kind'a like the smell of old books, but Earl sez to put some cat litter in a plastic bag, fan the books open and stand them up in the bag and close it up for a few days. If this don't get it done, replace the cat-litter and do it again.  (I include this tip because it would probably work for many smelly collectables.) 

*Comic-books are made out of cheap paper and need to be stored / protected in archival Mylar bags -NOT food storage bags. 
   


FABRIC:
I have to be honest here -cleaning fabric is beyond me.  This is a topic that is too simple and too complicated at the same time.  Read my articles on PRESERVATION  and let common sense be your guide.  F'rinstance...
 

    If it's your kid's soccer jersey, toss in the washing machine with whatever laundry soap you have been using to clean it all season.  Then mount if carefully in one of my UV proof Jersey Cases.

    If it's Elvis' actual underpants, use Woolite. Or not, but I don't want to hear about it.  

    If it's your wedding dress tuck it away in archival safe materials.  If you smeared wedding-cake-frosting down the front and then got it all sweated-up, have it dry cleaned and THEN tuck it away in archival safe materials. 

    If it's great-great-gram'ma's wedding dress, remember that buttons were made from celluloid many years ago and need to be dealt with as if they were volatile, -because they ARE volatile.  HIRE A PRO.  

    If it's Jacky Kennedy's wedding dress, HIRE A PRO.  

    If it's the actual flag that flew over Fort OutBack the day the armistice was signed, HIRE A PRO.

 

*Mildew: 

Get rid of it by moistening the stain in lemon juice and salt, let it dry in the sun, (mildew hates the sun).  If this doesn't work, try hydrogen peroxide more sun, but expect some fading.    


WOOD -finished:
Solvent:
Paint thinner or turpentine.
Abrasive:
000 or 0000 Steel wool
NOTE:
Turn your steel wool pad often and throw it out well before you think it is done. A clogged steel wool pad can scratch a nice finish.  After you have your item clean, use a brand-new steel wool pad to put on a thin layer of wax. Buff it out with an old cotton sock -probably a clean one would be best.

*Wax / Polish Build-up:  If you have been overdoing the wax over the years, take it down with turpentine and a clean rag.  Shift the rag periodically and replace it when it gets dirty.    

 

WOOD  -unfinished:
Solvent:
Paint thinner, turpentine, or shellac thinner (denatured alcohol).
Abrasive:
Cotton wipes.  
NOTE:
The problem with cleaning wood is that it is porous and the dirt can hide-out in the pores.  Of course it would depend on what the collectable is, but you might consider actually getting some extra find sandpaper and cleaning it up by actually sanding it down VERY LIGHTLY. Wear white gloves while you do so and store it carefully so it doesn't get dirty again. 
        
You might also consider using a plastic kitchen scouring pad and nothing else -except elbow-grease.  You will be sanding your collectable -sort-of, but only sanding the schmutz and not the wood.  Clean, turn,. or replace your pad often or you will not so much be taking the schmutz off as you will be smearing it around all even-like and working it into the pores.  Do NOT use steel wool on raw wood unless you want to give the wood a battleship grey (steel) patina.
   
*Scratches in wood: (from easiest to trickiest)

    Brown felt-tipped marker and -when dry- furniture polish.


    Shoe polish -brown, black, or Cordova -whichever most closely matches the wood's color.


    A wax crayon that matches the wood.  Buff it out with your thumb.


    Artists oil paint -that also matches the wood- rub it in and let it dry THOROUGHLY.  Polish it with wax paper.


    (For painted-colored wood.)  Fill the scratch with artist's water-color -from the tube.  Use it as both pigment and filler.  When it's dry, give it a careful coat of varnish or poly-something.

*Instant coffee makes an acceptable wood stain, and who doesn't have some in the kitchen?  Make a paste and rub it in.  

   
   
   
   
   
*These items are from Earl's Proulx's excellent book Yankee Magazine's MAKE  IT  LAST -1000 Ingenious Ways to Extend the Life of Everything You Own. They are used without permission, so keep me out of trouble by going out and buying your own copy.  I promise it will pay you back much more then its cost by making something last that you would otherwise have thrown away.