Antiques -cleaning- restoration

[Kevin]

Reading todays news, has anyone been in a home with lots of antiques, and thought to yourself that you should not be cleaning them, or the owner of the antiques telling you not to clean them? What experience have you had with antiques?

[chevygirl57]

I clean for an older couple and they have TONS of antique stuff. I was told to use the regular wood furiture polish on all the wood surfaces, and a lot of them are antique. It is very nerve wracking having to work around all of that stuff, the old china especially! I've knocked a few things over or down there, but luckilly nothing has broken yet.

I only dust, vacuum, and clean the bathrooms for them, but even so I have to be extremely careful with all of their things and around them as well.

-Nicole

[gailm]

I had 1 annual client with a house loaded with antiques. She liked the way we cleaned and only called us in once a year to clean those ?)# antiques. Her house was jam packed and I actually had to squeeze by some of the furniture. Once a year and spent the entire day in that house.

I had another client that had find china displayed on little wall shelves. Each shelf had 1 china piece. Of course I asked her if she wanted those cleaned and the answer was "yes; they're very valuable". I gave my usual response to let her know if they were irreplaceable, we won't touch them. She told us to go ahead and clean them.

Did I tell you guys this story? This was early in my business and I put this house on my schedule so I could clean the china myself. Here's the boss (I had 2 person teams) up on a step ladder and what happens? The china pops up out of my rag and falls on the carpet. Thank goodness it was the carpet. I quickly look around and nobody saw!

So I continue on with the next shelf. As soon as I place the china back on the little shelf, the shelf slides down the wall! Again, I quickly look around and nobody saw it slide.

I replace the china for a 2nd time and it's fine. I turn to get the next shelf and that ?!#* shelf slides down the wall and EVERYBODY HEARD IT AND CAME RUNNING INTO THE ROOM!

I was sure the house was haunted; needless to say they did not schedule another appointment.....thank goodness.