Knowing how to clean a water damaged wall art is helpful, especially when you have damaged art that you want to clean and recover. Wall art is any artistic decoration that we usually hang on the wall. Some wall art includes framed prints, paintings on canvases, watercolor arts, and so on.
Wall arts are popular in interior designing because it gives spice, color, and beauty in any household. However, we cannot deny that wall arts are also prone to various water leaks that can ruin the beauty they hold. They can be wet, which makes it hard to clean or recover them.
The good thing is you have come to the right place! This article will be your guide for today as we discuss how to solve your problem. To know everything about cleaning water damaged wall art, keep on reading!
How Can You Prevent Water Damage To Your Wall Art?
If you are not fond of cleaning water damaged artworks or such, the best thing you can do is to prevent water damages from happening. It would be best if you do not put wall arts near places prone to a water leak.
Nowadays, you can protect wall arts by applying coats of varnish. Through that, you can reduce roughness, increase color saturation, and protect from dust.
However, you must know that there are various types of varnish suitable for each kind of artwork. Ensure to use the correct type of varnish for yours to guarantee that it will not be vulnerable to damages.
How Do You Clean Wall Art If Water Damage Has Occurred?
If ever you failed to protect your wall art from water damages, there are various methods to follow in cleaning your water damaged wall art. Listed here are different types of wall art and how you can clean them.
Initial cleaning process
This initial cleaning process applies to all kinds of wall art. To finish this, you must follow these steps:
- Remove the wall art from its place.
- Ensure to repair the source of the water leak to prevent water damages in the future.
- Put your wall art on a flat surface. It would be better if you will place it in an open space.
- Let the wall art dry on its own. Please do not use a heater because it will attract molds.
- Separate the artworks (if there are many) depending on the type and severity of the water damage.
You need to ensure that the wall art is entirely dry before proceeding to the next steps.
Method #1. Normal paintings
First, assess if there are molds on the wall art. If molds are present, you can use Lysol spray (not the liquid one) to clean it. Once the molds become powdery, proceed to brush them off using a clean, dry paintbrush.
Please do not wipe the surface because the paint can smudge. Moreover, do not use bleach and stronger types of Lysol because they can ruin your wall art.
Method #2. Acrylic paintings
Use a dry, clean brush to clean the surface of the art. If the stains are worse, use a white cotton cloth and dampen it with a solution of warm water with mild dish soap. Moreover, if there is impasto that has cracks, clean them carefully with cotton buds.
Method #3. Oil paintings
Oil paintings require the same process as acrylic paintings. The only difference is that oil paintings need extra care. You can use a dry, soft brush or cloth dampened with mild soap for cleaning the surface.
If there is heavy dust, use a vacuum with soft bristles to remove it. Set the vacuum in a low level of suction before using it.
Method #4. Watercolor paintings
The first rule in cleaning watercolor paintings is that you should never use water. Using water and wiping it will ruin the art and will smudge the paint. The best way to clean it is to use a clean, soft paintbrush.
Is It Possible To Contact Your Insurance Company?
Sometimes, water leaks can damage a wall art severely, making it harder to clean and recover. If none of these methods worked for your water damaged wall art, it would be better to call art restorers to do it for you.
Aside from that, there are also interior designing companies that offer wall arts with insurance. Their insurance coverage often covers damages that may occur to the services they offer. At times like this, contacting them may help you a lot.
Conclusion
Learning how to clean a water damaged wall art is essential, but you should know when to do it yourself or not. If you think that the water damage is not easy to clean on your own, contact any nearby art restorer. Forcing yourself to clean it may only cause further damages.
Otherwise, if your wall art does not have much damage aside from minor stains, you can clean it at home. You only need to follow the steps correctly to bring back the beauty of your wall art!