Enjoy art collecting without the fear of fungal damage or pest infestations. At the California galleries of Thomas Kinkade, we want to help you protect your paintings.
Here are 7 ways to protect your paintings from many of the most common types of pest-related harm that can come to your painting and how you can help avoid them.
- Know Which Pests Attack Art Collections
- Match The Trap To The Bug
- Food, Plants & Art Don’t Mix
- Keep Pests Out — Weatherize Your Home
- Control The Climate To Avoid Mold & Fungus
- Don’t Forget About Paintings In Storage
- Document Pests, Traps & Damage
1. Know Which Pests Attack Art Collections
In addition to typical household creepy crawlies, you also have to be aware of any type of pest that will eat or deteriorate paper or cloth. You may not think of beetles and moths in the same light as mice or cockroaches, but they can be just as destructive when it comes to canvas and paper-based artworks.
Birds attract bugs. So, you’ll also want to keep your eaves and chimneys nest-free.
- Mold / Fungus
- Rodents — Mice & Rats
- Roaches
- Silverfish
- Clothes Moths
- Carpet Beetles
2. Match The Trap To The Bug
A host of the latest and greatest mousetraps aren’t going to protect your paintings if your greatest threats are really from textile moth larvae and tobacco beetles. It’s important to know which pests are more likely to live in your area and which will be attracted to the types of art you collect.
Then, focus your extermination efforts on the bugs that have the potential to really bug you.
- Pheromone Fabric Insect Traps
- Glue Lures For Moths
- Boric Acid Silverfish Traps
- Sticky Roach & Crawling Insect Traps
3. Food, Plants & Art Don’t Mix
While a small coffee area or wet bar and a variety of decorative plants can add beauty and convenience to your art viewing spaces, they also attract infesting pests. Insects and rodents are on the hunt for food, water, warmth, and nesting areas or materials. Why make destroying your paintings any easier for them?
4. Keep Pests Out — Weatherize Your Home
Drafty doorways and window sills are a sign that it’s time to get a professional in to seal up the cracks and crevices that let not only the weather but insects and rodents inside. A little caulk can go a long way to protect your paintings and your overall collection.
5. Control The Climate To Avoid Mold & Fungus
Moisture attracts mold, mildew, and fungus. If you live in a more humid area, a humidity monitor is an affordable investment that can let you know whether or not a dehumidifier is necessary near your art collection. Keep the areas around your paintings at a consistent temperature and prevent mold-related art damage.
6. Document Pests, Traps & Damage
Controlling art collection pests is also a matter of tracking them. Which pests are getting in? Where are they getting in? What types of damage have you experienced in the past? Answering these questions can help you narrow down your control efforts to what is really effective and inform any art insurance purchases you make.
7. Don’t Forget About Paintings In Storage
Out of sight, out of mind, but this can’t be the case when it comes to valuable art. Paintings in storage need to be kept free of moisture, off the floor, and away from potential pests. As you put preventative pest control in place, don’t forget about stored paintings, too.
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Add to your art collection and pick the brains of our knowledgeable Art Consultants today. Shop with us at Thomas Kinkade Monterey, Carmel, and Placerville, California.
