To reduce fading, darkening and deterioration caused by exposure to the UV component of natural or fluorescent light, install translucent, UV-absorbing films to fluorescent tubes and all windows. If possible, consider installation of a fiber optic system that has no ultraviolet or infrared content. As with all artwork, pollutants caused by fuel burning can collect on the surface of paintings. Furnace puffbacks are often the cause of a sudden deposition of soot and oily grim on everything inside a building. Make sure your furnace is clenaned and checked annually.
Smoking leaves a yellow-brown, oily film of tar and nicotine on paintings and frames.
A non-smoking policy should be enforced in any space holding paintings. Storing paints, varnishes and cleaning agents near artwork is both a fire hazard and the cause of many damaging accidental spills. Insects Insects cause a wide range of damage to paintings. Drops of fly excrement, known as flyspecks, are so acidic that small holes occur in the upper layers of varnish and paint, leaving permanent loss on the painting surface. Keep doors and windows closed or screened to minimize this problem.