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Written by Pat Pitcher

Over the years I have bought many antiques and collectables that have been so filthy that even careful examination has failed to turn up flaws. Dealers tend to fall on one side or the other of the "to clean or not to clean" debate.

Some feel that the cosmetic enhancement should be left to the buyer. With valuable antiques this may be a good policy since cleaning of some types of items can be costly and should only done by a professional. Some folks like their antique brass or pewter with a dull, dark patina and some prefer it shiny new. There can be concerns with using products that can damage finishes. Every dealer must tailor methods to suit his or her clientele.

I tend to fall on the side of CLEAN IT before you sell it when dealing with pottery, glass and china. Grunge can hide scratches, crazing, fleabits and hairline cracks.

Here are some techniques:

TO REMOVE GRUNGE, GREASE & GRIME:
Spray 9 is by far the best product I have found. Do NOT use on items that are cold painted - it will remove it.

TO REMOVE TAPE, LABELS, GLUE RESIDUE:
Goo-Gone and Goof -Off do the trick. Lighter fluid also works.

TO REMOVE CALCIUM, LIME AND HARD WATER DEPOSITS:
I have found CLR to be the best so far. Very heavy deposits may take more than one treatment. I use an old toothbrush to do the scrubbing. Do not use on heavily crazed pieces.

TO REMOVE STAINING FROM CRAZING ON OLD CHINA OR PORCELAIN:
Get the 10% peroxide solution. Put piece you want to treat in a glass bowl. For a lot of things like plates or bowls, you can just fill them if you are only concerned about the inside surface. For cups, vases etc, I just put about an inch in the dish, put the piece in on its side and rotate it as it cleans. Cover with Saran. Leave till crack or crazing is clean. On badly stained antique pieces this can sometimes take days. You will see brown gunky stuff come out.

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