Dust the acrylic with a soft dry microfibre cloth and nothing else. Keep glass cleaner, alcohol and paper towels away from it: they cloud the clear acrylic and leave fine scratches. The glass relief is sealed inside, so you never touch it. Hang it somewhere that does not bake in direct sun for hours.
What do I clean it with?
A soft dry microfibre cloth. Dust the face and the polished edges with it when it needs it, and that is the whole routine; dust is the only thing it collects.
Acrylic is clear because its surface is smooth, and it stays clear for as long as the surface stays smooth. A dry microfibre cloth lifts dust without dragging anything across it. Anything coarser, and anything wet with a solvent in it, is where the trouble starts.
| Use | Do not use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A soft dry microfibre cloth | Paper towels | Paper leaves fine scratches in acrylic |
| Light pressure | Glass cleaner | It clouds the clear acrylic |
| Dusting as needed | Alcohol or solvents | They cloud it too |
| A wall out of strong sun | Hours of direct sun | Kindest to the piece over the years |
What must I keep away from it?
Glass cleaner, alcohol and paper towels. The first two cloud the acrylic; the third scratches it.
The name is the trap: it is an acrylic frame, not a glass one, and glass cleaner is made for glass. Wipe it over the panel and the clear block goes milky. Paper towel feels soft but is not, and every wipe with it leaves hairline marks that show when the light goes through. The materials and process page says what the frame is, if you want the reason behind the rule.
Do I need to clean the glass relief?
No. The cut-glass relief is sealed inside the acrylic, so nothing reaches it and nothing needs doing to it.
That is one of the reasons it is sealed. The portrait keeps its gloss behind the clear frame, and the only surface you ever touch is the acrylic. The same goes for the raised lettering under a portrait, which is sealed in with the relief. If something gets on the panel that a dry cloth will not shift, write to us before trying anything else and we will tell you what is safe.
Where should it not hang?
Out of hours of strong direct sun. A wall that is lit but not baked is kindest to it.
Light through the acrylic is what the piece is for, and a brass picture light or a lamp beside it does it no harm. It is the long daily hours of direct sun on a south-facing wall that are worth avoiding. The hanging guide covers the rest of where to put it.
How do I move or store it?
Carry it by the frame with both hands, and wrap it in something soft if it is going in a box.
It ships to you with its corners protected, and the corners are where the standoffs are, so those are the parts to mind. If you keep the packing it came in, that is the best thing to put it back into. Stand it upright rather than flat if it has to wait somewhere, with the face away from anything that could rub it. Some buyers stand a piece on a chest of drawers or lean it on a sideboard rather than hang it, as the photographs on our home page show; the same cloth and the same rules apply there.
Questions this leaves
Can I use a damp cloth?
A soft dry microfibre cloth is what we ask for. If a dry cloth is not enough, write to us before you reach for anything wet, and we will tell you what is safe on the acrylic. Glass cleaner and alcohol are never safe on it.
Will the lettering wear?
The lettering is raised and, like the portrait, sealed inside the clear acrylic, so a cloth never touches it. Dust the panel as you would the rest of the piece.
Does it need anything over the years?
Dusting, and a wall out of strong direct sun. There is nothing to renew on a schedule, and the glass and the lettering are sealed inside the acrylic for good; if a corner standoff ever loosens, write to us; a human reads it and replies, normally within the day.
