Collections Care: Housekeeping

Good housekeeping in exhibition and storage areas is the first line of defense in preserving your organization’s collections for future generations. Taking care to prevent dust accumulation, removing trash regularly, and adopting a food policy for staff, volunteers, and events help to prevent accidental damage, deterioration, and pest damage to collections. General guidelines as well as object-specific tips can be found below. See also the toolkit on “Pest Management” for further tips on pests. 

General Guidelines

• Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI): “Cleaning Glass and Acrylic Display Cases,” CCI Notes 1/2
• Connecting to Collections Care
  • “Beyond “No Food or Drink in the Gallery”: Food Management Strategies for the Real World” Webinar (Presenter: Tara Kennedy, Yale University Library)
  • “Live Question and Answer Session on Housekeeping for Historic Sites” Webinar (Presenter: Brigid Sullivan, National Park Service)
• Minnesota Historical Society: Historic Housekeeping Handbook
• National Park Service
  • “Choosing a Museum Vacuum Cleaner” (Conserve O Gram Series, June 2003, 1/6)
  • Housekeeping for Historic Sites, Video Series (includes videos on cleaning specific types of collections and objects)
  • Museum Handbook: Chapter 13 “Museum Housekeeping”
  • “Safer Cleaning Alternatives for the Museum and Visitor Center” (Conserve O Gram Series, June 2003, 2/21)

Specific Concerns

• Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI)
  • “Care and Cleaning of Unfinished Wood,” CCI Notes 7/1
  • “Care of Furniture Finishes,” CCI Notes 7/2
  • “The Cleaning, Polishing and Protective Waxing of Brass and Copper,” CCI Notes 9/3
  • “Care and Cleaning of Iron,” CCI Notes 9/6
  • “Cleaning Paintings: Precautions,” CCI Notes 10/1
  • “Mechanical Surface Cleaning of Textiles,” CCI Notes 13/16
• National Park Service
  • “Cleaning Wood Furniture” (Conserve O Gram Series, July 1993, 7/1)
  • “Dusting Guidelines for Stone Objects and Interior Architectural Features” (Conserve O Gram Series, December 2000, 15/2)
  • Housekeeping for Historic Sites, Video Series (videos on cleaning specific types of collections and objects)
  • “Removing Dust from Ceramic and Glass” (Conserve O Gram Series, July 1993, 8/1)