Use This Tasty Breakfast Food To Clean Your Beautiful Artwork Without Damage

Oil paintings are a beautiful addition to a house, and unless you buy them at a garage sale, they don't come cheap. It's often a hefty investment, and because of that, owners try their best to take care of them properly. But that can be tricky when it comes to cleaning. Since they're not covered by glass, the dust settles directly onto the canvas, posing a problem. You don't want to add any cleaning products directly onto the canvas, since wetting it can ruin the paint. Using things like paper towels or cloth rags is also a no-go since they can snag on any protruding texture, either ripping the painting or leaving behind lint and paper. Feather dusters can accidentally scratch the painting if any sharp feathers become loose, and household sprays or vinegar can remove the paint itself. So what can you use? The answer might be in your pantry: a bagel.

It might sound unusual, but a bagel can help dust your painting without causing any damage to its paint or texture. That's because the bread is both soft and firm. It's firm enough that it won't flake off or tear on the canvas, but soft enough that it won't cause any damage to thick paint blobs or brush strokes. Intrigued? Here's how to do it. 

Before trying this bread trick, make sure your bagel is plain. You don't want any extra ingredients on it that can flake off and embed itself into the oil painting, such as a sesame or everything bagel. You also don't want it to have any potentially staining ingredients, such as blueberries or chocolate. These could eventually smear onto the canvas if you're not careful. You also want to make sure the bagel is fresh and not stale (ensuring it's not too hard, which can damage the art,) and that it's un-toasted. Once you have your plain bagel, cut it in half. Then, gently run it across the canvas, being careful not to press too hard. If there is an especially textured part of the painting, gently pat the bagel into it rather than running across it. This will ensure you don't accidentally snag it. 

If you don't have a bagel handy in your pantry, you could also use a soft piece of bread. Once the dust builds up on the slice, simply throw it out and grab a new one. That way, you're not re-embedding the dust to other parts of the painting. If any crumbs are left behind, use a clean paintbrush to gently dust them off.