Thursday, April 11, 2019

{ Bring Antiques into your Home The SAFE Way }

Happy April 11th, my little sister's big 30th!! As I was shopping around for her { she loves mid century collections} something hit me...I've never shared a post about how to safely bring found treasures/ antiques into your home! I really wanted to share this because I've sadly made the horrible mistake of not doing some of these & let's just say it wasn't pleasant. Most of these tips are super simple & most do but we all can get side tracked or excited to display a new piece & forget.  Keep reading below for the tips & what happened to us....

 

So, about 7 years ago we brought a vintage piece into our home & displayed it in our lower level. Fast forward a few weeks or even month later & we had tiny little baby brown spiders sharing our home...YES, spiders!! I'm always careful to wipe & check for creatures but I missed just a little spot & unfortunately it caused the hatching of spiders! Lesson learned..THE HARD WAY! 

1. LEAD / PAINT!

 


This is probably the most important, especially if you have young children. You can buy lead testing kits at local hardware stores for around $20. These test kits will determine if you have lead paint. If you do you can seal it with special poly. Also you don't want to disturb the paint if it is lead. This means no peeling, chipping it off etc. Leave it & poly, leave it completely or repaint!

 ▪︎ My ways only, proceed with caution at own risk!

                           2. CLEAN!

 

Again, this should be a given, but we all get busy or excited to style a new piece & so on. I usually just use water & wipe everything down really well. If the piece has a smell I'll use antibacterial spray or set in the sun for a bit! 

3. INSPECT FOR CRITTERS!

 

This is the biggest mistake I've made!! I always go over pieces but you have to PRECISELY!! Check every nook & cranny at least twice. Make sure no bugs are hiding or nest remain. 


                         4. DISINFECT!

 

This is something I do with rugs, cushions & shoes..DISINFECT!!!! If you don't like using Lysol or similar sprays because of chemicals there are tons of natural ways to disinfect, but make sure you do. Like I stated above,  I like to wash with a cloth & regular water & then spray with a disinfectant. You never know where old vintage antiques have been. 

I hope these simple tips make for a relaxing time junking, picking..antiquing whatever you call it! It's so fun & rewarding finding that special piece that holds so much charm & history. 

HAPPY THURSDAY!
PAIGE.ROSE