Follow-up – Jawdat Nasri
You cannot use water, paint thinner, alcohol, or any other abrasive force to clean oil paintings. But don’t worry, it’s easy to make your oil painting shine once more, all you need is a little saliva or some baking.
Method 1: Using saliva
1- Buy a few cotton buds. Using saliva to clean up artwork can seem crazy and ugly. But it’s the method used by curators around the world. Saliva contains enzymes to break up dirt and grime, but don’t use too much as you don’t damage the paint. However, you will need a lot of cotton buds, so buy a whole pack. Be aware that this method takes some patience, ask the curator how many hours it takes to clean a large oil painting this way (note: it takes more than two hours). But if you want to thoroughly clean the oil painting with zero chance of damaging the oils, follow this method.
2- Lightly moisten a cotton swab with your saliva. You don’t need to submerge the cotton buds, but it should be wet enough to pick up dirt particles easily.
3- Hit the wet cotton lightly on the plate. Don’t move the cotton from side to side, but up and down in a light drip. Aim to work around an area of 6 square centimeters.
4- Wet the other end of the cotton bud. Use the other end of the cotton buds as soon as the first tip has picked up so much dirt that it is no longer useful. When the other end becomes dirty, discard the cotton bud and use a new one.
5- Keep a glass of water handy. You should work slowly enough so that you don’t feel run out of saliva, but if your mouth starts to dry out, sip some water and wait a minute or two before spitting out once more.
Method 2: Using bread
1- Buy sourdough bread. Buy one, two or more loaves, depending on the number and sizes of the oil pans.
2- Work on a large, white surface outside or inside in an organized area.
3- Hold a piece of bread in the middle.
4- Wipe the bread and brush it over the paint lightly. It should absorb dirt and any impurities that may have built up over time.
5- Clean the crumbs. Use a soft brush, such as a soft household paint brush, to remove the crumbs from the bread and clean the plate from the bread.