- 1). Remove any jewelry from your hands, such as rings, watches or bracelets that could catch on the threads of the textile.
- 2). Wash and dry your hands. Avoid using hand sanitizer or lotion before handling textiles. Make sure your nails are free from rough edges that could snag on the textile. If you are handling very valuable or fragile textiles, you may want to put on cotton gloves to protect the textile from the oils in your skin.
- 3). Pick up textiles carefully, making sure to give them adequate support underneath. To move fragile textiles, you may want to place a sheet of acid-free tissue paper or unbleached muslin (cotton) on top of a piece of cardboard that’s larger than the textile. Slip the cardboard support under the textile and carry it by the edges of the cardboard, rather than picking up the edges of the textile.
- 4). Display textiles away from direct sunlight, especially UV (ultraviolet) rays. Make sure your display provides adequate, even support for the textile. Use wooden hangers padded with a layer of acid-free tissue paper or unbleached muslin rather than thin wire hangers to hang up clothing.
- 5). Store or display textiles in an area that’s free of excess humidity and away from temperature extremes. Avoid using basements or attics.
- 6). Store the textiles in boxes lined with acid-free tissue paper or unbleached muslin, or in polyethylene bags. If you need to fold the textile for storage, pad the folds with more acid-free tissue paper or muslin. If you need to stack textiles, such as quilts, place the heaviest textile on the bottom and use acid-free tissue paper or muslin in between each layer. Avoid using plastic dry-cleaning bags for storage, since they don’t provide adequate ventilation.
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