Cleaning cat pee of an oil painting

June 11, 2011 8:16 AM

How do I clean cat pee off an oil painting?

I have a large (about 5'x6') oil painting that due its location near the floor and a cat that marks has plenty of cat pee on it.

I doubt the painting ("The Clock Shop") is worth much, but I've had it about 20 years and it's been in my family almost 50 years. So, I'd like to keep it.

You can't really see where the cat pee is, so it doesn't look damaged. But I'd like to clean it off.

Any suggestions? I was just thinking of using soap and water.

posted by ShooBoo to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Best answer: Just wipe it down as you would a table with soap and water. Oil paint is incredibly resilient. I buy and sell art for a living and clean oils on a weekly basis.

Just ensure that it definitely is oil paint (it looks it.) Test a discrete portion with a few wipes before tacking the entirety.
posted by fire&wings at 8:27 AM on June 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you have a lingering odor problem even after washing with soap and water, try using Simple Green.

Also, I'd like to point out that this question is missing the obligatory link to a picture of your cat.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:46 AM on June 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My grandmother was an oil painter, and I have spent a great deal of time cleaning various things off of her paintings. Dish soap, a rag, and the backyard hose are my tools of choice. I would sprinkle a little baking soda on the back of the canvas for the smell, but Simple green would probably also work well.
posted by LyndsayMW at 9:26 AM on June 11, 2011

...and for god's sake raise that painting up the wall!
posted by rhizome at 10:25 AM on June 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Winsor and Newton makes an oil cleaning solution for paintings, and I would recommend you purchase this product or another similar brand to clean your painting and follow the instructions on the label.

Oil paint films are not very flexible, so take care not to break the paint film by stretching the canvas as you apply the product to clean it. The canvas should be supported by a rigid surface beneath.
posted by effluvia at 11:04 AM on June 11, 2011

Best answer: Winsor and Newton makes an oil cleaning solution for paintings

Cat pee removal needs no more than soap and water, don't spend money on this.
posted by fire&wings at 12:26 PM on June 11, 2011

You may want to have a professional take a look at this before you do anything. It is true that mild soap and water may be able to solve your cat pee problem, but my (trained, but not recently practiced) eye detects a certain level of sophistication and accomplishment in the technique, composition and palette of this piece that may make it worth your while.

Can you give any more information about its provenance? Or the artist? I notice there is a signature (obscured in the photo) at lower right. How/when/where it was obtained?

I can't tell from how you've framed the question, but if indeed you are in 'doubt' as to whether it is 'worth very much', I'd advise you to at least check with a knowledgeable restorer or appraiser before you go swiping at it willy-nilly.
posted by trip and a half at 1:46 PM on June 11, 2011

I own two portraits in oil of my mom and tried to clean one of them gently with water.

It worked out well enough when I tried it on one of them, but the ochre/oranges spalled/loosened a little bit. I was using distilled water and a soft cloth on a hard surface, but it separated and I lost some of it.

So be careful that the pigment is intact. It would have broken my heart if I ruined both of them. Luckily it is only noticeable to me unless you are right up on it and see the spots.
posted by Tchad at 2:22 PM on June 11, 2011

Response by poster: I don't have any expectations the painting is valuable. The painting was bought by my parents sometime in the early to mid 1960's in Southern California. The signature is unreadable to me.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to give soap and water a try.
posted by ShooBoo at 3:43 PM on June 11, 2011

Can you give any more information about its provenance? Or the artist? I notice there is a signature (obscured in the photo) at lower right. How/when/where it was obtained?

We are talking about 50 year old oil paint. It's completely impervious. Regardless of some of the waffle in this thread if a cat peed on a concrete floor or plastic seat you would not clean it with Winsor and Newton oil cleaning solution, you'd use soap and water. A half century old oil painting is no different, despite its value, frame, or position on a museum wall.
posted by fire&wings at 5:23 PM on June 11, 2011