Published July 20th, 2026

I'm Sally Hazlett, a self-taught painter based in Austin, TX. Painting started as my personal way to find moments of joy and calm when life threw tough challenges my way. I don't paint to fit a room or chase trends. Instead, I make each piece from memory and feeling, letting the colors and shapes come as they will.

Original acrylic and mixed media paintings are alive in their own way. The layers of paint and materials bring texture and depth, but they also need a bit of care to keep looking their best as time goes on. The colors can stay true, and the surfaces can stay intact if you treat them with a little attention and simple habits.

This blog shares straightforward, no-fuss tips anyone can use at home to protect their art. It's about helping you enjoy your painting for years without stress or special equipment-just a few easy things to keep in mind.

Basic Daily Care

Daily care for an acrylic or mixed media painting is mostly about staying gentle and paying attention. The surface looks tough, but the paint and textures still scratch, smudge, and pick up residue.

Clean hands matter. If you need to move or straighten a piece, wash and dry your hands first. Skin oils, lotion, and food residue leave marks that sink into the paint over time.

Even with clean hands, I avoid touching the painted areas. Hold the frame, stretcher bars, or the back of the canvas instead. Fingers press dirt into the surface and can burnish flatter, softer passages of paint so they catch the light differently.

Placement does half the work of basic care. I keep paintings where they are unlikely to be bumped: not behind doors, not in narrow hallways, not right over a crowded coat hook or shoe rack. Anywhere bags, keys, or toys swing around becomes a hazard for scratches and dents.

Dust builds up on every surface, so light, regular dusting is better than heavy cleaning later. For mixed media painting maintenance, I use:

a soft, dry microfiber cloth for smooth, flat areas
a clean, soft brush (like a large, unused makeup or artist brush) for textured spots

I work slowly, with almost no pressure, and follow the direction of the texture instead of pushing against it. Dry dusting like this is part of cleaning acrylic paintings safely. Wet cleaning is a different story.

I do not use water, spray cleaners, or furniture polish on the paint. Moisture softens some acrylic paint layers and can stain paper, fabric, or other mixed materials. Liquids also push dust into the surface instead of lifting it away.

Common household hazards matter too. Smoke from candles, fireplaces, or cigarettes, and fine grease from cooking drifts through the air and clings to paint. I keep paintings away from stoves, fryers, fireplaces, and heavy candle areas so that sticky film never starts building up in the first place.

Cleaning Acrylic Paintings Safely

Once dusting becomes a habit, actual "cleaning" stays simple. Most acrylic and mixed media pieces at home only need surface dust removed, not deep washing or scrubbing.

For care for an acrylic painting at home, I start with a soft, clean brush or a dry microfiber cloth. I use:

a wide, unused makeup or artist brush for textured paint or raised collage
a dry, lint-free microfiber cloth for smoother areas and frames

I keep my grip light and let the tool do the work. I sweep in one direction instead of rubbing back and forth. Rubbing grinds dust into the surface and can leave dull spots.

If a painting looks lightly soiled, I still avoid water on the paint. No glass cleaner, no all-purpose spray, no furniture polish. Household products carry solvents and fragrances that leave residue, cause cloudiness, or soften thin paint films. Even plain water seeps into paper, fabric, and other mixed media layers.

If I absolutely need moisture, I skip the painted areas. I take a clean microfiber cloth, dampen one corner, and squeeze it until it is almost dry. Then I:

wipe the frame only, keeping away from the edge where paint meets frame
clean the back of the stretcher bars if there is a smudge or fingerprint

I never let a wet edge sit along the paint line. If a drip touches the front by accident, I blot, not rub, with a dry part of the cloth.

All of this lines up with the same idea as avoiding moisture and chemicals in the environment: once liquids or fumes touch the surface, the risk of staining, sticking, or fading goes up. Gentle, dry cleaning keeps the paint stable and lets the color stay itself over time.

Protecting Mixed Media Paintings

Mixed media pieces carry more than paint. I glue down paper, fabric, and sometimes lightweight found materials along with acrylic. Those layers look sturdy once dry, but they behave differently than a solid paint surface and need a bit more watching.

Paper and fabric react to moisture faster than canvas or wood. In a damp room they swell, buckle, or pull away from the surface. I keep these pieces out of bathrooms and away from kitchen steam. If a wall tends to grow condensation in winter, I avoid hanging a layered work there.

Light is another quiet stress. Strong sun fades paper and some fabrics faster than it fades acrylic paint. If a piece has delicate collage, I hang it where the sun glances past instead of hitting it straight on for hours.

Mixed media layers also catch and hold more dust. Fibers, rough edges, and small gaps trap tiny particles that are harder to remove. Gentle, regular dusting helps, but the real protection is limiting what drifts onto the surface in the first place.

Sticky or oily film is the enemy here. Smoke and cooking grease cling to fibers and rough paper and sink in. I keep layered work away from fryers, smoky rooms, and heavy candle use so those films never start building up.

Rough handling does its damage slowly. Pressing a fingertip into raised collage, running a cloth against the grain, or bumping the surface with a hard object all loosen edges over time. I treat anything that sticks up from the surface like a small sculpture and avoid touching it at all.

Spotting Early Wear

Small changes give early warnings. I look for:

paper corners lifting or curling away from the surface
tiny cracks along thick ridges of paint or gel
darkening patches on paper or fabric that were once lighter
a haze or sticky feel that stays even after gentle dusting

When I notice any of that, I stop cleaning and stop moving the piece. Extra rubbing or shifting adds stress right where the material is already giving way. Quiet observation does more here than aggressive fixing.

Mixed media painting maintenance comes down to environment and touch: stable air, soft light, clean surroundings, and light hands. When those basics stay in place, the layered parts hold up almost as well as the paint.

Environmental Factors

Placement shapes how long an acrylic or mixed media painting stays bright and stable. Cleaning matters, but the air and light around the piece work on it all day.

Direct sun is hard on color, especially on thinner paint and collage. I avoid hanging work where a beam of light crosses it for hours, like opposite an unshaded south-facing window. Indirect daylight is fine. A wall that feels bright without harsh glare treats paint more kindly.

Heat and cold push materials around. Canvas, wood, paper, and glue all expand and contract at different rates. Over time that stress shows up as small gaps, lifting edges, or fine cracks. I keep paintings away from radiators, heat vents, space heaters, and drafty exterior doors. A steady, lived-in room temperature suits them best and also helps with preventing acrylic paint cracking.

Humidity swings matter just as much. Very damp air softens paper and fabric and can warp canvas or wood panels. Very dry air shrinks fibers and stresses thick paint ridges. I pay attention to walls that stay clammy or walls that bake under a vent. If a room fogs up often or feels bone dry, I treat it as a risky spot.

Some spaces are just rougher on art. Kitchens carry grease and steam even when they look clean. Bathrooms breathe out hot, damp air with every shower. Those tiny water droplets and oils land on paint and mixed materials and settle into the surface. I avoid hanging original work over stoves, near kettles, or on the wall across from a shower or tub.

Since I ship paintings across the country, I never know if a piece will land in a coastal climate, dry high country, or a city apartment with radiators. The crate and packing protect the painting for the trip. After that, environment takes over. Thinking about light, temperature, and humidity before a nail goes in the wall turns "where should this go?" into part of caring for the work, not just decorating a spot that happens to be empty.

Storing And Moving Your Artwork

Paintings spend part of their life off the wall. How you treat them in those in-between times matters as much as where you hang them.

For short-term storage, I keep acrylic and mixed media paintings upright, never stacked flat. Laying them in a pile lets weight press into textured areas and can print one surface into another. I lean them like books on a shelf, with steady support so they do not slide.

I separate each piece with something soft and non-scratchy. Acid-free tissue, unprinted cotton sheets, or washed flannel work well. I wrap the front and back loosely, so the fabric or paper rests over the paint instead of hugging it tight. Anything that clings hard risks sticking to slightly tacky areas or catching raised collage.

Dust and damp are the two big storage problems. I avoid basements that smell musty, garages, and spots near laundry steam. A closet or clean, dry room corner is safer. I keep paintings off bare concrete floors and away from exterior walls that swing cold and hot with the seasons.

When I move a piece from room to room, I carry it by the sides of the stretcher or frame with two hands. I watch for doorframes, chair backs, and sharp edges. A quick bump can crease canvas or snap a small raised element.

For packing and shipping, I protect the surface without pressing on it. I lay a sheet of glassine or smooth, acid-free paper over the front, then add a light layer of bubble wrap around the whole painting with the bubbles facing out, not toward the paint. Hard corners get extra padding, and the box or crate is big enough that nothing pushes directly on the painted face. The goal is simple: keep the artwork from rubbing, flexing, or taking a direct hit while it travels or waits for its next spot on the wall.

Caring for an original acrylic or mixed media painting isn't complicated once you know the basics. It's mostly about gentle hands, a steady environment, and a little attention now and then. I paint for joy, not to fit a trend or a room, and I want my work to bring happiness for years to come. The right care keeps the colors bright and the textures lively without stress or fuss. If you're thinking about adding original art with this kind of energy to your space, I invite you to explore my work and get in touch. Whether you already have a piece or are considering one, it's a simple, satisfying relationship between you and the painting, built on respect and a little everyday kindness.

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