Cleaning Products in Museums: Assessment of their suitability for silver
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v28i1.1441Keywords:
Preventive conservation, Museums, Heritage Silver, Cleaning products, Corrosion, Oddy testAbstract
As part of a multidisciplinary research project on silver conservation, the potential impact of cleaning products used in museum environments on heritage silver objects has been assessed. In collaboration with three national institutions — the National Archaeological Museum, the Sephardic Museum of Toledo, and the National Museum of Science and Technology — 24 cleaning products representative of routine maintenance were collected. Through accelerated aging tests based on the Oddy test, the effects on silver, copper, and sterling silver coupons were analyzed. The evaluation, conducted through both visual inspection and gravimetric analysis, allowed for the classification of the products according to their suitability. The results show that, although silver heritage objects in the three museums are generally not at risk, it is preferable to avoid certain cleaning products in exhibition areas. This underscores the importance of preventive conservation and collaboration between museums and cleaning professionals.
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