How To Clean And Maintain Your Acrylic or Glass Display Case

You’ve taken the first step of protecting your memorabilia by investing in a display case, now there are few quick and easy steps you’ll need to take to care for your glass or acrylic display case. Regular maintenance will ensure that your collector items are clearly displayed in a shining case.

If you are deciding what case is best for you, we cover all the pros and cons of each case in our blog, Acrylic vs Glass – What Is The Best Case for Your Sports Memorabilia? 

Basic maintenance

Dusting regularly, typically every other week depending on the environment, will keep your case shining and ensure buildup does not accumulate. We recommend lightly dusting the outside surfaces of the case with a clean, soft microfiber cloth. Never use the same cloth that you clean other household items with, as cloth can retain dirt, particles, oils and chemical residues that may scratch or damage your case.

Also, be very careful that the case does not come in contact with heavy or abrasive objects on or around it. Over time, leaning heavy items can scratch glass or acrylic.

Before using any cleaning or maintenance agent for the glass, acrylic or wood on a display case, test the product on a small non-visible area. Also, if you are using cleaning sprays, to prevent over-spray onto the glass, acrylic or your collector item, be sure to spray on a cloth and then carefully rub onto the area you are treating.

How To Clean A Glass Display Case

Glass cases give a very professional look and many people choose it because it is easier to clean than acrylic and doesn't scratch as easily.

To maintain shine and remove dust and dirt buildup, glass cases can be cleaned on a regular basis with an ammonia-based glass cleaner, like Windex, and clean microfiber cloth. Spray directly onto the glass case or onto your microfiber cloth and rub small circles around the surface of the glass case. 

It is important to be careful dusting or cleaning to ensure the glass does not get scratched as it’s virtually impossible to repair glass surface scratches. The good news is glass doesn't scratch as easily as acrylic. 

Finally, if you are using glass cleaner, be careful to not let any chemicals get in contact with wood trim of your case or on your display item. 

TIP: Normal household glass cleaner will do the job, just make sure you are using a clean cloth so you don't scratch your case. 

How To Clean An Acrylic Display Case

Acrylic is highly durable and preferred case material for many, due to it being much more durable, weighs less and lighter in weight, however it can scratch easily so care must be taken when cleaning or moving acrylic display cases.

We highly recommend Novus cleaners for acrylic, available on Amazon. This clear, anti-static formula is specially created to remove the negative charge that can attract dust and dirt to the surface of acrylic.

Never use any scouring or chemical cleaners such as Windex or glass cleaners – even if they are non-scented, non-colored or environmentally friendly – it is just not worth the risk of knowing how your acrylic may respond.

If scratches do appear, some may be able to removed with a separate Novus products, the fine scratch and heavy scratch removers. It is easy to use: simply wipe on and wipe off with a clean microfiber cloth. The “Novus 2” is an anti-static formula that removes surface scratches while it cleans. The “Novus 3” formula is for removal of heavier scratches and requires Novus 2 for final finish.

TIP: If you have a few acrylic cases, we'd recommend getting the three pack of cleaners and scratch removers, which can be found on Amazon. Novus is the household name for acrylic cleaners. 

How To Clean A Wood Base From A Display Case

For your wood frames or bases, wood is going to be the most simple to clean since scratches and dings aren't as likely to be as visible as acrylic or glass. If you have a case with wood trim, you can typically use a clean microfiber cloth and warm water to maintain shine and remove dust and finger prints. 

If you damage your wood, depending on how bad it is, but a simple wood filler you can find at a local hardware store will help fill any holes. You will have to do your best to match up the color, but since the wood colors on the market today are pretty common (black, cherry, walnut), you shouldn't have an issue finding the matching color. 

TIP: If you desire a shinier wood finish, you can use a wood oil or shine spray. Make sure to apply to a clean microfiber cloth and do small circles. Don't over-use to avoid excess oil from leaking onto your furniture. 

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About Memorabilia Displays

Memorabilia Displays is the world's leading online sports collectible display case retailer. We work with every major supplier to bring you the biggest selection across all sports memorabilia cases all with free store wide shipping. We aim to deliver cases that fit every budget with the lowest prices to help you find what you need.