I have this piece of art I really like. I got it about 15 years ago at a thrift store. I'm not sure what you call this style/medium. The only thing I've seen is "folkart".
It is dingy and I want to clean it. Particularly the white fabric background.
I don't remember exactly what I did but at some point I tried spot cleaning and this was the result:
construction:
base: 1/4" hardboard composite with canvas sort of fabric glued on
hardboard I don't know if this term is regional or well known. It's that brown sheet that is often used on the backside of cheap modern furniture, like a bookshelf. It's smooth on one side and rough on the other.
Top and bottom edges are in a groove of wood molding strips; these are stapled on and can be removed
design is made up of little items glued on: beads, small rocks, cord, ceramic
doesn't seem to be a top coat or anything
There's not really any hidden areas to test.
the glue is quite robust, I have been surprised that hardly anything has fallen off.
Any ideas? Hardboard really can't get wet.
I wish I had properly protected it years ago.
Consider doing a small test section in one corner before trying anything. Also take a clear photo in full daylight before you start and make comparisons with full daylight pictures later. It is very easy to have the lighting and perspective completely change how something looks, so make the comparison as apples to apples as possible.
Also, using plain water for a simple rinse can be very effective at removing dirt just by rinsing and repeating, no soap. This is lower risk than many other approaches but requires you fully dry before checking the result. Definitely research other options, but it may be good to try cleaning with plain water.
I'm not sure how to use water because the structure is composed of hardboard with fabric glued onto it. Not sure if hardboard is a universal term, here is a picture of what I mean:
A closer zoom of the bottom picture showing construction:
The porous, adsorbent side of the board has had the canvas glued to it. How to rinse that?
(Filesize limits on lemmy prevent posting larger photos.)