×
Back Button
☰

How to Clean Knickknacks

Ris Lexington
By Ris Lexington Updated September 26, 2017

Some people call them prized possessions, family heirlooms, antiques or collectibles, others call them dust-collectors. If you have knickknacks in your home, you know how tedious it can be to keep your beautiful collection dust-free. Learn how to keep your knickknacks looking shiny and new.

How to Clean Knickknacks

  1. Dust with a blow dryer. It may sound silly, but it will blow the dust right off of your knickknacks. Be careful, though, if your knickknacks are light-weight and fragile, they may tip over.

  2. Fill a sink with warm water and dish soap. Let your knickknacks soak in the soapy water for approximately 20 minutes. Let them air-dry in a safe place where they won’t be knocked over.

  3. Remove discoloration due to smoke from most glazed knickknacks with glass cleaner and a paper towel. Spray the paper towel and rub it on the object. You’ll be disgusted once you look at the paper towel!

  4. Prevent the dust in the first place by using a display cabinets. This should prevent knickknacks from becoming excessively dusty and dirty. Unfortunately, dust has a way of reaching the most unlikely places. In order to prevent excessive dust from getting into your display cabinet, you can seal the doors tightly with self-adhesive weather stripping. This will prevent you from having to clean knickknacks so often.

Warnings

  • Never wash Alabaster knickknacks in water. This soft stone should never be submersed or washed with water, instead, use a dry cleaning cloth to keep it dust-free.

Writer Bio

Ris Lexington, a New York-based editor, has more than a decade of experience in newspaper, magazine and book publishing. Before becoming a professional writer online in 2007, she served as the editor of a Canadian health and wellness magazine. She holds a bachelor's degree in English.

More Articles

Homesteady