Q&A for How to Clean an Oil Painting

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How do you remove dust from art?

Kelly Medford
Professional Artist
Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.

Kelly Medford

Professional Artist

Expert Answer

If there's dust that dried into the paint, you won't be able to remove it. If it's just on the surface, wipe over the painting carefully with a static-free microfiber cloth.

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What is Gainsborough neutralizer?

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

This is a product designed to stop the cleaning process of other Gainsborough products and/or remove residues from these products. It can also be added to other Gainsborough products to dilute them. You can look up exactly which products work with the neutralizer on Gainsborough's site.

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I have a family painting from the '30s that I love but it is dark and some of the paint is starting to crack and I'm afraid it will chip. Is there anything I can do?

Community Answer

It sounds like it needs to be professionally restored. You can do an online search for restoring services in your area.

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Question

How do I clean a faded area that's around the canvas on the outside of art work?

Community Answer

If you are talking about the narrow band that was covered by the picture frame, I think you are looking at the original color of the painting. The interior is probably darker because the old varnish has yellowed or the painting is dirty.

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Which method should be used to clean an oil painting that has smoke from cigarettes on it?

Community Answer

First, lay clean unprinted newsprint paper (not copy paper) several layers over the oil painting.Wrap the entire painting in the paper. This will absorb a lot of the smoke smell. Place it in a closed box or wrap in plastic and wait for about two weeks. This works for old books, any paper products. Finally, the spit method to finish up.

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Does mineral oil clean an oil painting?

Community Answer

No. Mineral oil and vegetable oils are not drying oils like linseed oil, walnut and other oils. Mineral oil will never dry, will make cleaning impossible, will attract dirt, and may permanently damage the oil painting.

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Question

A portrait of my granddaughter has started bleeding yukky yellowish stuff. How can I clean this without damaging the oil painting?

Community Answer

Take it to an art restorer for help.

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Question

After cleaning my painting, what can I use to give it a shine?

Community Answer

You can varnish it. If it has already been varnished in the past, you can varnish it again to regain the shine.

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How can I lighten up a family oil painting that has turned very dark?

Community Answer

I would not recommend trying to do this yourself as you could ruin the painting. If you need to lighten the color, you should take it to an art specialist who is trained in lightening to avoid damage.

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How do I clean an oil painting, possibly an antique, with a few paint specks?

Community Answer

If the specks are water-based house paint, you might try very carefully and gently scraping with the point of an X-ACTO knife. I would reserve this treatment for paintings of modest value.

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How can I tell if an old painting is an oil or acrylic work?

Community Answer

Acrylic was not available to the general public prior to the 1950s. The early applications had a plastic appearance.

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Question

I just spray varnished an oil painting outside and the varnish is not dry but specks are all over the family portrait commission. How can I clean it?

Community Answer

I think you can't varnish acrylic paint with varnish made for oil paint. If that's what you did, you've got a huge job ahead of you. Spit won't help. You need a pair of powerful magnifying glasses, the kind with lights, and an x-acto knife with lots of fresh blades. I think you have to gently chisel off each dot, slowly and carefully, removing only the dot to get down to the paint below it.

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How do I clean an oil painting that developed many small spots of white mold in storage?

Community Answer

You can try using Tinactin or another athlete's foot medicine since it contains anti-fungal ingredients. (Use a Q-tip lightly dampened with the solution.) The mold spots should quickly disappear. Before you do this on the whole painting, you should test the treatment in a small, inconspicuous part of the painting. If paint colors the Q-tip, stop and go to a restorer. If any pits or spots remain after using this treatment, the fungus could have actually eaten into the paint, so again, let a restorer clean your painting!

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Question

How can I clean oil paintings from the 1980s?

Community Answer

Rent a power washer, and set on low power. Dip the intake hose in a bleach/dish detergent mixture. Spray at a 45-degree angle, no closer than two feet, until clean.

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