"Cherish An Antique Day"

It really is a holiday! Cherish An Antique Day is a holiday created by Vintageweave owner, Kathy Delgado; this is the 2nd annual. It is recognized and included in the highly-regarded book, Chase's Calendar of Events.

The actual date is April 9, but we were out of town off treasure hunting and couldn't properly celebrate on that day/week. Although it wasn't to be, we really wanted "Cherish an Antique Month", so we've just been celebrating all month long! Stop in the boutique and you'll see our {very rare} table loaded with 40-60% off items, and French Sea Salt Carmels are being passed out to visitors (there is no correlation, we just like 'em!). We're also handing out a cheat sheet on how to clean, protect and prolong the life of most antique surfaces, as compiled for us by our friends at Weiman.


Wood Antiques (tables, chairs, desks, dressers, etc.)
• If wood antiques are in direct or indirect sunlight, treat the surface with a product that contains UVX-15 sunscreen. Weiman Furniture Wipes are a favorite of ours to prevent drying and discoloration
• To hide scratches, apply a wax crayon, shoe polish paste or touch-up pen that matches the color of the wood and buff area with clean soft cloth

Silver Antiques (jewelry, dishes, candle holders, mirrors, etc.)
• To extend tarnish protection, dust silver regularly
• To avoid tarnish build-up, use Wright’s Silver Cream or Wright’s Anti-Tarnish Silver Polish (ranked a “Consumer Reports Best Buy”) when a light gold film begins to form on silver
• Discontinue cleaning silver once it looks clean and shiny, even if the cloth is blackish; there will always be a slight residue on the cloth

Copper Antiques (pots, tea kettles, jewelry, ceiling fans, ceiling tiles, door knobs, etc.) We must share, that we at Vintageweave PREFER copper that is stained and molted into a wonderful patina, but if you have a highly expensive and rare piece, these tips should definately be followed:
• Copper does not rust, but it will stain and accumulate tarnish so it must be cleaned unless you want it to take on a different patina;
• On heavily tarnished copper not easily cleaned by vigorous polishing, use a very fine steel wool (grade 000 or finer); though it may leave tiny scratches, they should disappear with use;
• If copper remains bright and shiny over time, it is probably lacquered (lacquer is a clear coating applied to some copper items to minimize upkeep) and only requires cleaning with a damp cloth; if the piece darkens over time, it probably is not lacquered and can be polished.

Brass Antiques (door knobs, cabinet hardware, musical instruments, etc.)
• Regular washing and polishing with a quality product like Wright’s Brass Polish helps protect from pitting, etching and other corrosion caused by salts and other corrosive elements
• Brass may also have a lacquered coating, so if surfaces remains bright and shiny over time, it probably only requires cleaning with a damp cloth; if the piece darkens over time, it can be polished.

Of course it's important to note that at Vintageweave we love crusty, stained, peeling, scratched, beaten and slightly discolored items, but if you have a highly valued item, these tips are just the ticket!