Question Cleaning Canvas

[Chet]

New user to this site. Can anyone advise a good way to clean canvas oil painting. I don't want to touch the actual picture just the surrounding 'white' canvas which has several years of dust/dirt. Canvas is to be stretched.

 

[Joe B]

Moisten a soft cloth with distilled water and gently rub - don't get the canvas overly wet or it may shrink. What doesn't easily clean off with the damp cloth just leave - or send to a conservator that has the training and knowledge to do a more intense cleaning.

 

[Richard Darling]

You might consider stretching the canvas first, so that you eliminate the danger of shrinking. There are a number of factors here. The best overall advice is: Don't do something you don't know how to do. Especially if you have to practice on the customer's art.

 

[Rebecca]

Depending on the age of the canvas, moistening could also weaken the canvas (degraded fabric is weaker wet than dry). You could simply vacuum with one of those micro vac attachments for keyboards or try gently surface cleaning with grated vinyl or art gum eraser followed by soft brush and/or vacuum.

Rebecca

 

[preservator]

The dry cleaning that Rebeccs suggests has the further advantages of avoiding the risks of weakening of the bond of the paint layer to the canvas and of tide lines, from moisture.



Hugh