The main challenge here is the wide variety of keepsakes people have on display. Hard-surface items with a protective coating — fired ceramics, lacquer on wood or metals, polyurethane or polyacrylic on wood — can be dusted and cleaned with a damp cloth as needed. Glazed pottery, glass and ceramics can also be washed in the dishwasher on one of the short wash-and-rinse cycles. Avoid using abrasive pads or cleansers that can scratch glass, remove lacquer, and damage painted designs.

 

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Unprotected pottery, ivory, bone, or other porous items should only be dusted with a dry cloth — moisture or water will stain them.

Likewise, keep water and other liquids away from dolls and other cloth objects. To dust cloth items, you can put them in a clothes dryer and tumble them on the no-heat cycle for five to 10 minutes. The dust will fall off and become trapped in the dryer lint filter.

As an alternative, store knick-knacks and collectibles in enclosed glass cases. They’ll look like new for months and even years without collecting the dust found on items displayed on open shelves.

References:

Jeff Bredenberg, editor, Clean It Fast, Clean It Right: The Ultimate Guide to Making Everything You Own Sparkle & Shine

Don Aslett, The Cleaning Encyclopedia: Your A to Z Illustrated Guide to Cleaning Like the Pros