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If you have lots of photos displayed in your house, chances are good that you don’t know how to properly care for your picture frames. Find out what you need to do to protect your pictures forever and how to keep your picture frames looking good for years.

The Importance of Creating Duplicates of Your Special Photos

One of the most important things you can do when it comes to caring for your photos, is to make sure you have a way to create a duplicate of your most important photos.With digital cameras, it’s easy to take and print photos whenever you want.  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 Picture Frames Often

Like any other object in your home or office, picture frames do collect dust and need to be dusted periodically.The best way to do that is to lay your picture frame face down on a thick towel. This will help to protect the frame and the glass from getting scratched.  Next, remove the backing and carefully take out the picture.

Once you have opened the back portion of the frame and removed the photo, simply lift the glass from the frame. You can now clean the glass with any glass cleaner.  Remember, though, if it is acrylic, just use soap and water.  Paper towels can scratch the surface of acrylic, so it is better to use cloth towels.  Also, the acid in paper towels can stay on the glass and slowly degrade the photo inside the frame, so if you are using conservation techniques to protect your photos, only use a cloth towel to clean your glass.

The care of your frame largely depends upon the finish and material used to make the 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 off dust without leaving the frame wet or with pieces of towel or paper towel stuck to the rough unfinished wood finish.Avoid using wood or dust cleaners on unfinished wood frames as they can discolor or stain the bare wood frame.

Caring for Metal Picture Frames

Metal picture frames can be cleaned in several ways.Use a water dampened towel to gently clean off any metal picture frames.  Wipe the frame gently and then dry with a soft dry cloth to avoid leaving water marks.

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 hasn’t tarnished you can be pretty sure it’s a lacquered frame. A lacquer finished frame should only be cleaned with a water dampened cloth and gently dried with a dry, soft cloth 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 a cleaner, always test a small area on the back or bottom of the frame to make sure the cleaner doesn’t react badly with your frame.  Once done with cleaning your metal frame, wash your hands to avoid transferring any cleaning residue to 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, it’s very easy to properly care for your frames and photos by following these simple steps. By consistently taking care of your photos and frames, your framed memories will always look their best.