Caring for your collection, light, climate, framing and handling
Most damage to art at home happens slowly and is easy to prevent. What museums know about light, humidity, framing and handling, translated into a few everyday habits.
Art is more robust than many owners fear and more fragile than many assume. Most damage in homes happens slowly, through light, damp, heat and careless handling, and most of it can be prevented with a few habits. Museums follow detailed guidelines; you can borrow their logic without turning your living room into a gallery.
Light, the slow and silent risk
Light damage is cumulative and cannot be reversed. Ultraviolet radiation is the most harmful part, but visible light also fades pigments, yellows paper and weakens fibres over time. Watercolours, drawings, prints, photographs and textiles are the most sensitive. Oil and acrylic paintings are more tolerant, though not immune.
Light levels are measured in . Museum guidance commonly cites about 50 lux for highly sensitive works such as works on paper, and around 150 to 200 lux for less sensitive objects such as oil paintings. Direct sunlight is many times brighter than either, which is why the first rule at home is simple: never hang a work where the sun falls on it. Simple light meters are inexpensive, and some phone apps give a rough reading, enough to compare one wall with another.
Practical steps help: curtains or blinds on sunny windows, LED lamps that emit very little ultraviolet and, for precious works on paper, rotation, with some pieces resting in a drawer or folder while others are on the wall.
Humidity and temperature
describes how much moisture the air holds compared with the most it could hold at that temperature. Canvas, wood, paper and glue absorb and release moisture, swelling and shrinking as they do. Damp air encourages mould and foxing, the small brown spots on old paper; very dry air makes paper brittle and wooden panels crack. Rapid swings are worse than either.
Guidelines agreed among major museums for loans work within a band of about 40 to 60 percent relative humidity and 16 to 25 °C, with the emphasis on stability. At home, that translates into a few rules. Do not hang art above radiators, fireplaces or heaters. Avoid bathrooms, the area around a cooker, damp basements and unheated attics.
A small digital hygrometer, which measures humidity, shows you how a room behaves across the seasons. Central heating dries the air in winter, while summer can bring damp, and a humidifier or dehumidifier may help in difficult rooms. On cold outside walls, small spacers or bumpers on the back of a frame let air circulate behind the work.
Framing that protects
A frame is the first line of defence for works on paper. uses materials that will not harm the work over time: acid-free, lignin-free mount board, hinges of Japanese tissue with wheat starch paste that can be removed later, and never masking tape or ordinary glue on the artwork itself.
The work should not touch the glazing, so a mount or hidden spacers keep a small air gap. , in glass or acrylic, blocks much of the ultraviolet light, although it does not stop visible light, so it is no excuse for a sunny wall. Acrylic is lighter and safer for large works but scratches more easily. To try combinations of frame, mount and glazing before you visit a framer, you can use the Frame Studio tool.
Paintings on canvas need different care. A backing board fixed to the reverse of the stretcher protects the canvas from knocks and dust, and the hanging fixings should be strong enough for the weight, with two hooks sharing the load for larger works.
Handling, moving and cleaning
Most accidents happen when works are moved. Plan the route first, clear the floor and carry one work at a time, with two hands on the sides of the frame, never by the top edge or the hanging wire. Large pieces need two people.
- Handle works on paper with clean, dry hands. Many conservators prefer this to cotton gloves, which reduce grip and feel.
- Use nitrile gloves for photographs and metal surfaces, which fingerprints can mark.
- Never touch the paint surface of a painting, even if it looks dry and robust.
- Dust frames with a soft, clean brush. Do not use water, household cleaners or polish on paintings or unframed works.
- Clean glazing by spraying a cloth, never the glass itself, so liquid cannot seep under the frame.
- If a painting looks dirty or dull, leave the cleaning to a .
If you need to store works, choose a dry room inside the house, keep framed pieces upright with a board between each, and avoid wrapping them tightly in plastic, which can trap moisture. Works on paper are safest lying flat in acid-free folders or boxes.
Records, insurance and when to call a conservator
Photograph each work front and back from time to time, so you can spot changes and show its condition if you ever need to. Keep invoices and condition reports with the photographs, and note the date and details of any conservation treatment, because future conservators will want to know what was done. For insurance, ask your insurer whether art is covered by your household policy and up to what value. arisano gives no insurance or financial advice, so take professional guidance for valuable works.
Light damage is cumulative and cannot be reversed.
Call a conservator when you see flaking or lifting paint, tears, new stains, mould, insect damage or water damage, and do not attempt a home repair first. Professional bodies such as the Institute of Conservation in the United Kingdom and the American Institute for Conservation keep directories of qualified conservators.
Terms in this article
- Lux
- The unit of illuminance, measuring how much light falls on a surface.
- Relative humidity
- The moisture in the air compared with the maximum it could hold at the same temperature, given as a percentage.
- Conservation framing
- Framing with materials that protect the work over time, such as acid-free mount board and removable hinges.
- UV filtering glazing
- Glass or acrylic in a frame that blocks much of the ultraviolet light that fades and weakens artworks.
- Conservator
- A trained professional who examines, stabilises and treats artworks using documented, carefully chosen methods.
Readers ask
Is it safe to hang art in a bathroom or kitchen?
It is best avoided for anything valuable or sensitive. Steam and cooking cause rapid changes in humidity and temperature, and grease settles on surfaces. If you want art there, choose robust, inexpensive pieces, frame works on paper behind glazing and keep everything well away from the shower and the cooker.
Should I use UV filtering glass for every frame?
For works on paper, photographs and textiles it is a sensible choice, because these are the most light sensitive. For oil and acrylic paintings, glazing is less common and can cause reflections. Remember that UV filtering glazing does not block visible light, so careful placement away from sunlight still matters most.
When should I call a conservator rather than fix something myself?
Whenever the artwork itself is affected: flaking paint, tears, stains, mould, insect damage or water damage. Home repairs with tape, glue or cleaning products often cause lasting harm and can make professional treatment harder. You can safely replace a loose hanging fixing or dust a frame, but leave the work itself to a trained conservator.
