So, you have made a major investment to buy a canvas artwork for your home or maybe you have designed a customised print with memorable images of your family. You must have identified the most special corner of your home to hang those canvas prints to create a special impact. The next task now is to ensure that your canvas print stays as beautiful as it is now for the years to come. This will require you to put some special effort into cleaning and maintenance of your canvas prints. Here we will share our thoughts on how to clean your canvas prints.
If you are looking for some information on how to keep your canvas looking great for the years ahead, you have landed on the right page. Here we are going to talk about different aspects of canvas print cleaning and maintenance to help you ensure a gorgeous feel with these special treasures at your home or office. No matter what you have stored on those frames, if you care for your canvas as per professional tips and guidelines, you can maintain them for a long time.
What do you need to know before cleaning your canvas prints?
Many people now have ruined their beautiful canvas prints just because of wrong cleaning techniques and improper maintenance. But when you have decided to keep it for the long run, it is good to start with the professionally verified cleaning methods. When you know the right technique to clean, you can maintain its aesthetic appeal with ease. A well-maintained canvas can impress an audience irrespective of its size and finish.
Cleaning canvas prints require utmost care and adequate procedures. But we cannot always keep this task to the professionals. The guide below can help you follow some trusted procedures for canvas printing at home. It will also answer some of your questions before you start with the cleaning practice.
Can you and how to clean your canvas prints?
If you need a short answer to this question then ‘yes’! Canvas prints can be cleaned. But yes, you have to keep several things in mind while going ahead with a cleaning procedure. First of all, you need to choose the right location for hanging your canvas prints. They must be kept away from direct sunlight to avoid any major damage. No matter whether you are hanging them on the wall or putting them into storage spaces, it is better to avoid direct sunlight from falling onto the canvas print.
Experts reveal that direct sunlight can cause unwanted fading of the prints and it may lose its actual appeal. Therefore, it is recommended to maintain a soft lighting arrangement for canvas prints in your area. Furthermore, the best place to hang your canvas is an airy room where you can have good ambient light.
It is better to keep your canvas away from the areas with moisture. Do not install your canvas prints in areas with high moisture content or poor air ventilation. It is observed that a damp room can lead to the absorption of moisture content into canvas print which will further lead to major distortion. Other than this, you have to be careful with the storage of your canvas prints. They must be kept in a protected and dry environment. It is good to either hang them on the wall or keep them standing on the floor. Basically, no object must be kept on the canvas print.
How to clean your canvas prints safely?
When you are ready to clean your canvas prints, the best idea is to start with soft damp cloths instead of using harsh cleaning products. Experts usually recommend microfiber cloths to ensure easy window cleaning. You can choose the cleaning method based on the type of dust or dirt you have on the canvas. Below we have listed a few important points to help you develop the best cleaning strategy:
- If you are observing some fresh dust on the top of your canvas print, it is better to use a dry clean cloth to handle the surface. You can use the same soft cloth to brush off the dry dust particles from the front surface of the print as well as to clean the entire picture and frame.
- In case there is some hard-to-clean dust on the canvas print, you may have to use a wet cloth to deal with the same. Use some tender movements to take out dirt from the surface as well as sides of the frame. But make sure that you do not rub the print using a cloth. Moreover, it is better to use only a slightly wet cloth; it should not be dripping. Those who have a large canvas to clean are advised to rinse the cloth time and again so that it can stay clean itself. It will help you to avoid any damage to the print.
- If some spots on your canvas print are appearing very greasy and dirty, it is possible to use soapy water to clean those areas. But you have to be very much careful with this cleaning because water is not a good friend for canvas prints. Avoid any heavy rubbing of the canvas as you cannot fix the damage at a later stage.
Dealing with simple dirt on the canvas:
Now you have gone through the basic background of canvas cleaning. Below we have listed a few simple steps that you can follow to ensure adequate cleaning of your canvas:
Step 1: First of all, take some warm water and dip the soft dust cloth into it. Now squeeze it carefully so that the cloth doesn’t remain too wet.
Step 2: Start rubbing the dirty canvas area carefully, without putting much pressure on the slightly damp cloth. You can use a circular motion for cleaning if necessary. But never ever put so much pressure on your frame.
Step 3: You can carefully soak the dirt into a washcloth without switching to the already clean areas of the canvas.
Step 4: Now put your cleaning cloth into warm water again to get rid of accumulated dirt. It will help you to remove the particles and the cloth will be ready for another cleaning session. Repeat the steps to clean the entire canvas but make sure you do this with care and without putting much pressure.
Step 5: After cleaning, let your canvas dry for some time. Note that absorption of too much moisture content into your canvas print can cause major damage.
Dealing with dark-colored stains on canvas artwork:
Step 1: In case you find some dirt and mud on the canvas, it is first good to let it dry completely. After this, you can shake the canvas gently to get rid of debris.
Step 2: Now wash the canvas material with warm water putting a small amount of baking soda into the mixture.
Step 3: Rinse your canvas with cool water.
Step 4: It is better to make use of a soft, non-abrasive pad with chemical-free mild dish detergent with slightly hot water to remove the remaining dirt and stains.
Step 5: If there is some mold on the canvas, you can make use of a mixture of warm water and alcohol to clean the area gently.
Do not use chemicals to clean your canvas prints:
Many of you might be interested to use some chemical-rich products available in the market to clean the décor pieces at home. But this is not a good idea for your canvas prints. If you use some harsh chemicals on the canvas surface, it will be damaged permanently. Experts never recommend using solvents, cleaners, and other liquids to clean dirt from your canvas. Even if you find so much dirt or stains on your canvas, it is not good to use some random cleaning agent from the market. You may need to ask canvas print cleaning professionals to choose specialized products for cleaning your canvas. You should not even try dish soaps or some universal cleaners on your canvas prints as they are not recommended by experts.
In case a damp cloth fails to get the grime and dirt out of your canvas print, you may think of switching to some chemical-rich products. But the best recommendation in such situations is to use household cleaning solutions. They can easily break down existing UV coating on the print without posing any damage to the surface. Otherwise, you can simply take help from professional cleaners to deal with your canvas.
Handling storage of canvas prints:
When you are working on some home décor project or are making efforts for renovation, you may need to store your canvas prints carefully. This requires the right technique because improper storage can cause major damage to your canvas or may put dirt or dust on the surface. Experts do not recommend putting your canvas prints into some storage space since their interaction with some other objects on the font size may lead to unwanted rubbing which may further cause major damage.
The best solution is to acid-free paper to wrap your canvas prints; this is the more convenient idea when you want to store your canvas prints for a longer time. You may find several unique acid-free materials to handle this storage task for canvas prints. The main idea behind using these covering papers is to protect the print surface from any scratch or rubbing. Furthermore, as the paper doesn’t contain any type of acid, it will not cause the yellowness of the canvas over time. You should store your canvas prints in a dry and cool area to avoid any damage. Excessive heat, moisture, and massive temperature swings can cause unwanted results.
Maintaining your canvas prints in humid locations:
One common question people ask while buying canvas prints is whether it is waterproof or not. Well, they are not! The canvas prints are designed using ink-based printing technology. They are mainly water-based inks; hence are more susceptible to moisture content. Moreover, most manufacturers prefer using cotton as the primary material for canvas fabrics which is having absorbent properties.
Some of you may be planning to install canvas prints in the bathroom area. Well, it is generally not recommended. As we have already mentioned that canvas prints are greatly affected by humidity and moisture content, it is better to install them in some dry areas. The best idea is to hang them in areas with higher ventilation and proper air circulation. In case your bathroom is of a bigger size and has some ventilation arrangement, hanging canvas prints in this area would not be a problem. But make sure you clean it periodically. Best locations for canvas prints are generally known to have lower humidity with lesser temperature variations.
One more common concern of many canvas print owners is whether they can iron their artwork or not. Well, you can iron it but do this only if it is very necessary. The best idea to iron the surface is only if you find a dent or crease on the canvas. In order to do the ironing, you should first lay down your canvas print; make sure you put a cotton towel below it to avoid any scratches. Apply iron from the backside of the canvas print and you should not put steaming iron on the material for more than 30 to 60 seconds. After ironing, you can hang the canvas on the wall and let it dry. You should follow this procedure to avoid any damage to the artwork.
The safest way to keep your canvas print as beautiful as the day you bought it is to add the canvas coating at checkout.
With this laquer applied, your canvas prints will stay bright and clean forever and you can easily wash the prints without any damage. See the video below.