Caring for Your Antique Christmas Decorations

By Teresa Ambord

If you own antique Christmas decorations you are in good company.  Whether your collection is limited to items passed down through the generations of your family, or you actively seek out such decorations to purchase, these treasures require special handling if they are to last.

From the experts who know, here are a few tips for maintaining the beauty of your antique ornaments:

• If you hang the ornaments on your Christmas tree, be sure to place them on the higher branches where they are less likely to be bumped and broken.  If you have cats, you know that felines often like to bat low-hanging ornaments off the tree.
• When it’s time to remove the ornaments from the tree and store them again, you should first dust them with gentle makeup brushes. Always remove the hooks, which may cause scratches while in storage.
• Clean the glue off of ornaments with a product called Goo Gone and a cotton swab.  Goo Gone gently removes the glue left by price tags and other substances, without the need to scrub and possibly damage the surface.  You can find Goo Gone in hardware stores and home centers.
• Store antique ornaments in sturdy boxes, capable of keeping out moisture.  Some pros recommend Rubbermaid or Sterilite.  Better still if you can find such storage containers with trays.  Whatever container you choose, avoid storing your treasures in cardboard boxes, including the gift boxes they came in.  Cardboard is made from wood pulp, therefore is highly acidic.  The chemicals in cardboard will eventually destroy the paint on your ornaments. The worst possible choices are corrugated boxes or recycled products, as they have the most acid.
• Don’t wrap ornaments in tissue unless you’re sure it is acid-free.  Ask for acid-free tissue at your craft store.  If the ornaments are colored, use a non-buffered or pH neutral tissue for the best results.  Some people use Bounty microwave paper towels.  These towels do the job, but if your ornament is glittered, the fine fibers on the towels might dislodge it.  Some collectors who wish to store their ornaments in their original cardboard gift boxes find they can do so safely if they first wrap the ornament in an acid-free tissue.
• It’s a good idea when packing away your antique ornaments to add a package of desiccant to remove moisture.  You can buy these desiccants at craft stores.
• Put your storage containers in an area where the temperature will be fairly constant.

If you’re interested in joining with other collectors, visit this Web site: Golden Glow emphasizes pre-1966 ornaments.  You can sign up to receive their newsletter, and find out about their annual convention.

You’ll find a list of other clubs, as well as have the opportunity to buy some antique ornaments by visiting this Web page: Clubs for Collectors.