# What to look for in someone who cleans paintings

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-look-for-in-someone-who-cleans-paintings/340144>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-look-for-in-someone-who-cleans-paintings/340144 "2006-01-15T22:26:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-look-for-in-someone-who-cleans-paintings/340144/1 "2006-01-15T22:26:03Z")

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I want to get a painting cleaned. It’s 4’ x 3’ painting of my grandmother, my father, and my aunt, and of sentimental value rather than real. It’s suffered over 60 years of cigarette smoke. So, off to a restorer. But how do I judge a restorer? Are there qualifications I should look for?

I’m aware of [BAPCR](http://www.bapcr.org.uk/), and Google throws up a [lot of results](http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2003-48%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=painting+restorer&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB), so I’m after specific answers rather than opinions.

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-look-for-in-someone-who-cleans-paintings/340144/2 "2006-01-16T05:45:49Z")

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Perhaps you could check with the curators of any local galleries or historical societies for a recommendation.

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**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-look-for-in-someone-who-cleans-paintings/340144/3 "2006-01-16T05:59:09Z")

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Maybe you could ask for references.

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-look-for-in-someone-who-cleans-paintings/340144/4 "2006-01-16T13:24:25Z")

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He should be late-middle-aged, have a grey goatee and rimless glasses, speak in precise, prissy tones, play Mozart a little too loudly in his workspace, and have a faint air of suspicion about him.

Yeah, I’ve seen a few too many movies.