good luck

Glad it was helpful!

I suspect that it will work, but I recommend testing it on an inconspicuous place first, eg. on a piece hidden by the frame. As always, I recommend if it is a valuable painting, it is better to have it professionally cleaned by a specialist.

Thank you :)

snow should be like using distilled water, so should work :)

this method should work just fine to remove the smoke layer

@@PaintBasket spray it with window cleaner wipe of. Repeat 2 ore 3 times Then mix water with little dish soape. Wipe of. Repeat 2 times

Handy Andy or any similar non harsh or abrasive cleaner. You can't use any cleaner that has harsh chemicals in it or cleaners with bits in them. If in doubt just use a bar of plain hand soap. That is enough to lift any grease, smoke and dirt of your painting.

unfortunately you will need a professional restorer

thank you so much. I do not have the money being disabled, I'm afraid that the Fall Apart while they're waiting to be professionally taken care of. I was just trying to find something to make them seem not so dead and dry but maybe they're supposed to be dry? they were in a situation in a house where there was a lot of mold I'm just afraid it's gotten into the material and after all they're not kept in a professional situation and I live in the Northwest so there's a lot of rain you live in a not so well-built house for 30 years and things happen. they're in good shape considering what they've been through and where they came from they're a dead ringer for an artist that has said to have visited here and there was literally hundreds of them at one point some older than these. when the person who took them did the linseed cleaning or whatever was done it was a family member who is working in that business somewhat Not museum quality but Framing and cleaning and restoring. the people coming in who saw them we're offering large amounts of money. so I have a Sentimental attachment but I think they're worth some money too I just hate for something of that age to be wasted. excuse the punctuation the capital letters the non capital letters I'm speaking because of muscle and visual issues. At this point I can't even check it for big mistakes I can't see what I'm writing I'm using my voice so sorry. I was afraid the answer you had was what you were going to say I'm sure it cost so much period at one time it would have never been an issue but it is now. I hate that many runs things so much thank you again

visiting Lee sv

Anita Evans ???

Glad it was helpful!

You may find that the paint will darken up again as it dries.

Oil and water don't mix, so if your painting is 100% dry then the little bit of water you use to clean it will have no effect on the painting whatsoever. I personally wouldn't try to clean a painting with spit. It just doesn't sound like a good idea. Clean water and a qtip to very gently clean a small area would work better.

you're welcome

you want the ammonia based cleaner, not the bleach version as that could affect the colour of the paint. If in doubt rather use a regular bar of hand soap to work up a lather in your hand, then use the lather to gently clean the artwork. It is often very difficult to tell if a painting is oil or acrylic, so assume it is acrylic - which means you have to work extremely carefully to not lift the paint. If you can test by cleaning an area on the side or corner of the artwork first to see if the paint lifts (telling you it is an acrylic painting). If in doubt and you do not want to take a chance, then it would be better to take it to a professional

Glad I could help!

Anthony Sears good thinking mate.

+Maria Meade try just the water first, then do a deeper clean if required. The paintings do not need to be varnished to use this technique.

PaintBasket Fantastic! Thanks so much you really have impeccable timing :) Big Hugs!! Reeah.

you're welcome, I am glad it helped you

then just use regular dish soap. Remember to test on an inconspicuous spot first

good luck, let me know how they look after

it is called Handy Andy cream cleaner which is a gentle general purpose household cleaner

to remove the porridge I would gently wet it with as little water as possible to soften it. That should allow it to come off. If there is staining which a normal wash as described here doesn't remove it, then the artwork will need to be restored professionally.

You get rid of the kids. Problem solved.

it would be very difficult for me to judge from photos. What I suggest you do is take the painting to an appraiser to ensure it isn't a rare valuable painting. If it is then you would not touch it yourself but get a professional to clean it. If ti isn't valuable then carefully remove it from the frame and do a test clean on an area that is normally hidden behind the frame. If the painting has any cracks in it don't attempt to clean it.

with something liek that I would take it to a professional restorer. You don't want to risk damaging the object, destroying it's value in the process.

unfortunately not. Giclee prints are printed using a water based ink - Giclee printers are basically large format inkjet printers - so if you get water on it, it will dissolve the ink, ruining the print. Before purchasing a Giclee always ensure they have added a protective varnish layer over the top to avoid disappointment.

yes. Oil paint air dries, so if you have painted very thick the paint forms a skin which keeps the air out so it can take a very long time to dry. Some of the old master impasto paintings are still wet on the inside.

Yup. He's not joking. If there's heavy impasto, it will continue to dry and "evolve" over decades and, depending on the other environmental factors, centuries.

lol, where do you live now?

@@PaintBasket I live in Alabama, but we have/had a lively rugby community. South Africans are awesome.

lol

@@PaintBasket Haha! LOL! Take care Dear! Scottish?

unfortunately I do not have access to paintings that are so dirty that it would show up on video as I clean my paintings once per year. If however you do have such a painting, believe me you would be amazed at the difference

I cleaned a painting I did 45 years ago that I just rescued from my mom's attic and this worked really well!

the paint forms a skin on thick impasto artworks so the air cannot get in to dry the paint. For interest sake we tested this in my teaching studio. We left a 2cm high blob of paint to dry for a year. After a year the paint inside the skin was still as soft and workable as it was in the tube.

Joshua Gomes lol

acetone is corrosive so I would not recommend that

PaintBasket No, acetone is not corrosive. It cleans then evaporates immediately. It doesn't penetrate the oil paint, it doesn't seep through the cracks, it dissolves the old yellowed varnish, and leaves the unvarnished oil to be re-varnished. Perfect.

RogerGT, what is your background and experience, please? I think I've seen you post 'use acetone' before but I've called experts and art institutes and they say do NOT use acetone, at all. So, do you have extensive experience in art restoration? No offense meant. You are just stating something against art experts I have asked. Thank you.

Rather just set fire to the painting, problem solved.

lol, This technique is perfectly safe for regular household paintings that are in good condition. Ancient paintings that need restoration require an entirely different approach.