Canvas Art Maintenance: Keeping Your Prints Looking New

The perfect piece of art is on your wall. You love it. It inspires you, brings a smile to your face, or maybe fits your aesthetic just right. Great art needs routine cleaning to keep it looking fabulous. Canvas art maintenance isn’t difficult, but it needs to be consistent to protect your prints for years to come.

Routine Dusting

The most important step in maintaining your art prints is keeping the dust off. Dust is a common problem because it can damage the print over time. To remove dust, follow these steps to protect the canvas:

• Gently brush off the loose dust with a soft cloth. Don’t apply too much pressure, as that can stain the canvas. You can use a feather duster for this as well.
• Use a soft brush. If your print has dust embedded in the canvas, use a soft-bristle brush to apply slight pressure to the surface. Use a sweeping motion to pull off dust.
• Don’t get it super wet. Do not use any type of household cleaner on the surface. Any amount of water could cause the dust to settle into the tiny grooves. It may also cause serious damage to the canvas.
• If there are spots that don’t wipe off, use a lightly damp microfiber cloth on the surface. Take your time cleaning small sections of the surface like this.

Try to keep the surface dust-free on an ongoing basis. It’s much easier to dust every week than to remove significant accumulation.

Protecting the Canvas

Another component of canvas art maintenance is minimizing ongoing damage to the surface. There are several steps to take here:

• Control the humidity in the space. If you have canvas prints in the bathroom, laundry area, or other wet areas, be sure they are out of the direct splash zone. And, keep the area clean. Mold and mildew can attach to canvas easily. You may also experience warping of the wood frame.
• Keep it out of direct sunlight. Choose a location with indirect sun so that there’s no risk of damage to the surface from UV lights.

Managing Spills and Stains

If, for some reason, your canvas art print suffers damage from a spill or stain, there could be ways to restore it. Clean up any moisture as quickly as possible. Always be gentle in removing anything from the surface, avoiding most chemicals, especially near the ink. On stains, use a small amount of mild dish soap dabbed onto the surface.

For difficult areas, apply a dampened towel with soapy water. Use circular motion with minimal pressure to encourage the stain to lift off. Once you get as much of it off, dry the surface with another towel and allow it to fully air dry before replacing it.

With a few simple steps, you can keep your gorgeous canvas wall art looking its best. Consistency is what makes the biggest difference in this process!