Glitter is a great way to add a little sparkle to Christmas decorations. A lot of ornaments use glitter, from baubles and orbs to tinsel and garlands, and their ability to catch the light and reflect in all directions makes them excellent Christmas ornaments.

The problem, however, is that glitter can very easily come off your ornaments. A simple rub or scrape is often enough to dislodge a large section of glitter, especially when you're handling or cleaning the ornaments.

So if you have or plan to get a few glitter-encrusted Christmas decorations, then here are some tips to help preserve the glitter and prevent it from falling off:

Spray on a thin coat of acrylic

One of the first things you need to do when you open up a new set of glitter-encrusted decorations is to check how firmly the glitter is attached. Do this by gently pressing the tip of your finger upon the glitter. If the entire tip of your finger is covered with glitter, then you need to reinforce the glitter's hold on the ornament lest it spread all over the place. All you need is a can of transparent spray-on acrylic and some old newspaper. Lay out the newspaper on the area you're going to work in and gently spray a thin layer of the stuff with short, side-sweeping bursts on one side of the ornament's glittery portions. Let the ornament dry for a few hours until the acrylic completely hardens. Flip the ornament around and repeat with the untreated side. This thin film of acrylic should hold the glitter in place while still allowing it to catch the light.

Minimize contact with surfaces

Lightly handle a glittery ornament with the very tips of your fingers and if possible hold on to areas where there is no glitter. Never hold an ornament with the entirety of your hand as the oils and friction of your hand provide enough contact for the glitter to latch on to your hands instead of staying on the ornament. The same principle holds true for walls, the needles of your Christmas tree or any other nearby surface. Make sure the glittering parts of the ornament face outwards and away from any surface as much as possible in order to minimize any potential damage.

Gently clean the ornaments

One of the biggest problems with glittery ornaments is cleaning off dust or soot without scraping the glitter off. You can minimize the damage to the glitter by gently blowing off the dust using ordinary lung power. This should be strong enough to dislodge loose particles of dust without removing too much glitter. If the dust or soot is a bit more stubborn, then you can use a soft-bristled brush to do the job. Just gently - ever so gently - brush the dust off and you should be able to get rid of dust without damaging the glitter. If the dirt is stuck fast to the ornament, then you may want to consider briefly soaking the ornament in cold water for a few minutes before lightly dabbing the dirt with a dry paper towel. Remember to dab and not wipe, otherwise you will get more glitter than dirt in the process.

Store the ornaments in loose plastic bags

The principle of minimizing contact with surfaces once again comes out here. Don't pack glittery ornaments in tight and cramped containers just as they are, otherwise the glitter would latch on to the surfaces. Get a plastic bag large enough to hold each individual ornament, place the ornament in them and seal them off with some packaging tape. Prepare some old newspapers, crumple them up and set them aside. Use this newspaper as cushioning for when you store the ornaments in a box or container. The smooth plastic wraps prevent the glitter from coming into contact with surfaces that it can latch on to, while the newspaper prevents impacts from damaging or dislodging the glitter.

One last thing: it helps if you purchase glitter-encrusted Christmas ornaments from a reliable source. The glitter on cheap knockoffs is often poorly attached to the ornament; coming off at the slightest touch. Quality Christmas decorations, on the other hand, use strong adhesives to keep the glitter firmly attached and make it much more resistant to overall damage.

Keep this bit in mind along with the aforementioned tips and you should be able to keep your glitter-encrusted decorations for years on end!

 

 


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