How to Care for Your Favorite Photos and Frames

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How to Care for Your Favorite Photos and Frames

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed

If you have picture frames in your house, chances are good that you may not know how to properly care for them. Find out what you need to do to protect your pictures forever and how to keep your picture frames looking good for years.

Creating Duplicates of Your Important Photos

One of the best things you can do to care for your pictures, is to make sure you have a way to create a high quality duplicate. Thanks to technology, a digital camera makes it easy to take photos and to print them when needed. But what about the old photos you have on your walls or tabletops?Do you know where you keep all of your negatives, slides or CDs stored in case you need to replicate them?

Those special irreplaceable photos require high quality replication to help make sure that you never lose them.There are several ways to make copies of your special pictures, but it’s best to seek the help of a professional who will ensure your photos are properly replicated without damaging your photos.

Clean Your Photo Frames Regularly

Just like any other item in your home or office, picture frames get dirty and need to be dusted regularly.The best way to do that is to lay your picture frame face down on a thick towel. This will protect the frames finish and glass from scratching. Next, remove the backing and carefully take out the picture.

Once you have opened the back of the frame and taken out the photo, you can lift out the glass from the frame. Go ahead and clean the glass with a glass cleaner. Remember, though, if it is acrylic, just use soap and water.You should also use cloth towels with acrylic because paper towels can leave behind fine scratches on the acrylic.If you’re wanting to use conservation techniques and protect your photos , you should only clean the glass with a cloth as paper towels leave an acid residue behind on the glass.

The care of your picture frame depends largely upon the material and finish of your frame. To clean a wood picture frame with a smooth lacquer finish use a dust cleaner or a water dampened cloth. To prevent damage to your frame be sure before using any type of cleaner that your wood frame has a lacquered finish similar to a piece of furniture.And don’t forget to remove your photo from the frame before cleaning with a spray cleaner.

For unfinished picture frames that have raw or unprotected wood surface, be especially careful as they can be damaged if not properly cleaned.Unlike lacquered or finished wood frames with a protective finish, unfinished wood frames should only be dusted with a dry toothbrush or cleaned with a small handheld vacuum.This method cleans your frame off without leaving pieces of paper towel or cloth stuck to your unfinished wood frame. Avoid using dust cleaners or wood cleaners on unfinished wood picture frames as they can stain or discolor the bare wood frame.

How to Care for Your Metal Picture Frames

Metal picture frames can be cleaned in several ways. Use a slightly dampened towel moistened with water to clean aluminum or gold or silver colored frames.Wipe the frame carefully and then dry with a soft dry cloth to avoid leaving water spots.

If you have a precious metal frame, like a solid pewter photo frame, silver plated frame or sterling silver frame, you need to determine if it has a lacquered finish.In most cases, if you’ve had the frame for a while and it isn’t tarnished then it most likely has a lacquer coating. A frame with a lacquered finish should only be cleaned with a water dampened cloth and dried right away with a clean dry towel.

If you have an old silver frame that’s tarnished, then you can be pretty sure that it doesn’t have any lacquer coating and should be cleaned with a quality silver cleaner.Make sure to read the cleaner instructions carefully before applying. And, remember to remove your photo before you clean your frame to avoid damaging your photo.

Anytime you use any cleaner, always test a small section of the bottom or back of the frame to make sure the cleaner works well with your metal frame.Once you’re done with cleaning your metal frame, wash you hands so you don’t transfer any cleaning residue onto your photo. Before replacing your photo, make sure the glass and frame are completely dry before putting back your photo. If there is moisture remaining on the glass, you can run the risk of having your photo damaged if the photo sticks to the glass.

As you can see, its very easy to properly care for your frames and photos by following these simple steps. By regularly taking care of your pictures and frames, your framed photos will always look their best.

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