Monsoon Care

By Chirag Sharma

Photography: World Wide Web

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We all love to possess great looking artifacts, paintings and sculptures to enhance the beauty of our homes. Here are some handy tips on their care during the monsoons…

Sadly, not all of us are good caretakers of our precious belongings. With the onset of the monsoons, and with humidity at a high, it is important that utmost care is taken to conserve delicate works of art.

Here’s some expert advice:

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• Make it a point to wipe all canvas paintings everyday so that the grime and moisture do not settle in.                                                                                                                                             
• Place watercolour and other paintings framed in glass, away from windows – they need to be shielded from the rain as much as they need to be preserved from direct sunlight.

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• Delicate artifacts of silver and nickel-plated showpieces are best packed away during the monsoons. You can bring them out later – this will also give you a chance to experiment with new arrangements around the home.

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• Artifacts like textile wall hangings and other fabric related pieces of art should ideally be packed away too.

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• Use a thin bristled hand duster to regularly clean all sculptures and figurines as well as little knick-knacks that are displayed around the home.

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• Avoid using a damp cloth to clean your artifacts.

You may think that having an air-conditioned environment is best for your decorative objects, and you hardly need to bother with dust and moisture. Well, our experts say that dampness can be a problem if you have excessive condensation on your walls after your air-conditioner is switched off. Hence you would either need a dehumidifier to avoid the formation of fungus on your paintings or better still get into a regular routine of observing and cleaning.

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Always remember – a few hours of normal air circulation a day is a must to allow all your artifacts to breathe.