BS EN 17138 provides the guidelines for the choice of the operational cleaning technical specifications to optimize the cleaning operation.
The fundamental requirements for each specific cleaning method are given to adapt cleaning works for single specific cases.
The objective of cleaning may consist of removal of any combination of unwanted materials, such as: degraded protective coatings, surface, or near-surface materials, which constitute a present or future threat to conservation, materials which prevent legibility of the object or are disfiguring by nature, deposits which are judged to be incompatible to the historical nature of the object.
BS EN 17138 on conservation of cultural heritage - methods and materials for cleaning porous inorganic materials is useful for:
A cultural heritage object is irreplaceable and while cleaning is undertaken for object conservation; its effects are irreversible. Failure to consider and address the technical problems which can arise during cleaning may cause irrevocable damage to an object. Cultural Heritage should be cleaned using the least disruptive/invasive procedure possible to best preserve it.
BS EN 17138 describes the cleaning systems providing a list of technical specifications useful for their selection, evaluation, and optimization to allow proper and systematic evaluation.
BS EN 17138 presents the methodology and requirements for cleaning particularly applicable to natural stone, ceramics, plaster, mortars, and concrete. The presence of sensitive components, which may include certain stone lithologies or paint or other decorations on porous inorganic surfaces, for example, will preclude the use of some of the methods outlined in BS EN 17138. The example applications given in the BS EN 17138 are indicative of practice and are not exhaustive.
EN 17138:2018