Experts in different fields of preservation offered their advice and practical tips on safeguarding heirlooms. Your valuable papers, fading photos, crumbling textiles, worn and ragged books, and other cherished treasures can be preserved with a little attention and understanding. Look for the rest of this series in future editions of the Ancestry Daily News.

All substances on earth undergo entropy. It is a process that in familiar, simplistic terms signifies ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All our possessions succumb to chemical reactions. They expand and contract, fade, tarnish, and yield to insects, dust, and pollutants. Meanwhile they are victims of external calamities-accidents, floods and other natural disasters, vandalism, and the ravages of time itself.

We have a duty to extend the integrity, beauty, and lifespan of our beloved cherishables as far into the future as possible. For their moment of glory and for our posterity to enjoy, let us take proper measures to preserve and leave them in the best possible condition.

Porcelain, Vases, Urns, and Other Art
In terms of resistance to unfavorable climatic conditions, air pollution, insects, intense light, and other natural enemies, ceramics rank with metal and glass as the most durable of materials. But they do need special protection against their ubiquitous, most threatening perils, namely accidental breakage and deliberate foolhardy mutilation.

Many people have foolishly followed a once popular fad of wiring their exquisite antique vases, topping them with lampshades, and cutting a hole in the bottom through which to draw the electric cord. Such damage to fine artistic treasures decimates or totally destroys their value and usually obliterates or excises the important hallmark.

Bronze and Metal Figurines, Etc.
Over the centuries bronze and metal pieces develop an attractive surface sheen or film known as a patina. This coating is revered as a testament of the item's quality and integrity and should not be disturbed. It is a mistake to scrub, polish, or buff away the veneer in order to remove grime, tarnish, and corrosion. The loss of the patina is irreversible and devalues the item.

Limit the cleaning of patinated objects to gently vacuuming or brushing away dust, dirt, and other surface deposits.

Silver Articles
Of all the heirlooms we have inherited, those we treasure most are probably our elegant, lustrous silver bowls, candelabra, flatware, and ornate serving pieces. These articles are prone to surface tarnishing caused by sulfurous gases in the air. Tarnish is best removed by polishing gently with a silver cream, rinsing it off, and drying thoroughly with a soft, absorbent cloth. Do not use commercial dip solutions or chemical reduction techniques involving immersion in salts, acids, metal granules, or foils. These products and procedures are not only toxic but can cause disfigurement and pitting of the silver surface. Also, do not wash your plated or sterling silver in the dishwasher. The powerful chemicals present in detergents, as well as treatment solvents in the water supply, can spot or pit silverplate.

Glass Decanters, Vases, Bottles, Etc.
Most glass is chemically stable and at risk primarily from careless handling or accidents. However, in some kinds of glass, ultraviolet light can cause color shifts. Therefore, the degree, duration, and intensity of light falling on your glass artifacts should be controlled. Do not display painted or delicate glass pieces in a sunlit window or any environment that generates heat-alteration of the original colors, abrasion, or flaking of surface elements or decorations could occur. Direct sunlight may also cause a fire. Glass objects should be washed gently with a mild detergent, rinsed, and wiped with a soft cloth. Bluing added to the rinse waster will add luster.

General Warnings
Temperature Extremes: Moisture can damage metal causing rusting and corrosion. Salt-laden moisture can do great harm to cars and property, as anyone living near the sea can testify. Severe moisture can cause wood to swell and paint to crack and flake off. Excessive dryness can be equally harmful and cause wood and ivory to split and the design layers of paintings to crack. Pianos (combined wood and ivory) are especially vulnerable to dryness.

Light: All light is damaging, but the worst light is intense and/or variable light, whether natural or artificial. The effect is cumulative over time. Paper, textiles, basketry, and other organic materials suffer most from the effects of light, whereas metal, stone, glass, and ceramics are less vulnerable.

Insects: Various pests prey on antiquities and collectibles. Carpet beetles attack carpets, wool, feathers, skin, and horn. Moth larvae take a keen interest in woolen garments but also eat other proteins like fur and feathers. Powderpost and furniture beetles feed on wood. Although seldom seen, insects can be detected by the small round holes they leave on wood surfaces and the fine powder (frass) that emanates from the holes.

Safeguarding treasures against their various enemies is usually not difficult. Simply follow the precautions noted above and you will help in the preservation process. Then, how much more we will enjoy the precious antiques and heirlooms that have been bequeathed to us by our beloved forebears.

Articles in this Series
Part 1: Photos, by Karen Frisch

Part 2: Paper, by Barbara Sagraves

Part 3: Books, by Joan Nay

Part 4: Textiles, by George G. Morgan

Part 5: Other Treasures, by Miriam Plans

Miriam Plans, a freelance writer, has had numerous articles published in various magazines and periodicals. She is the author of three books about collecting and caring for treasures. She currently resides in Vero Beach, Florida.

For a more detailed look at preservation methods, see Miriam Plans' book Caring for Your Antiques & Collectibles (Dubuque, IA: Landmark Publishing, 1997) ISBN 0930625889.