Retired and Dirty

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Little Baron	02 Jun 2005
I have just retired my Rider Waite Smith. It is one of the earliest decks I bought; not particularly old at 8. However, through constant use and handling (not just by me), it has become horrible to touch. It feels oily and 'tacky'. As much as the old battered look is one I like in a deck of cards, the dirty sticky one, I do not favour. I have just broken the seal on a new deck that sat in standby - I had bought it a long time ago as I had seen it very cheap and thought it could always be a reserve. It just slid open and glided into a fan - rather than dragging itself apart in greasy chunks, like the old one did. Just so that you know, I am not a dirty person. I don't walk around with sweaty and grubby hands. However, it has been handled by many people over the years - I suppose hands can pick up a lot, whether it is through running them through hair while concentrating (people put a lot of products in their hair), taking a drink before they shuffle, ect etc. I was just wondering if anyone has had this problem. Maybe I should not let others shuffle it and always make sure my own hands are washed beforehand. As much as the new deck feels great, I am already missing the first - it may have been heavy with grease but it was also heavy with experience and wisdom. I felt something when I handled those cards (aside from the ten tons of crap it was obviously layered with). Since I have a back up, I may try cleaning the other one - nothing to lose, I suppose. None of my other decks have ever been like this one. It is the 'Original RW' in the purple box with the Tudor Rose backs - on sale in just about most bookstores in England. The cards are lightly coated but not as plasticy as the Universal Waite. Any ideas or experiences. LB

Ace	02 Jun 2005
Baking soda, corn starch or fanning powder (look for magician web sites, they use it) also search the forum for baking soda and you will find a number of threads on deck cleaning. This is one: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=38236&highlight=baking+soda Unless you want to handle your decks with gloves on, resign yourself to some dirt. I work outside at street fairs and inside with lots of people and go through decks in 4 months or so. I just can't take the dirt (someone once asked what those black spots on the edge of a Robin Wood card signified!) and stickiness after a while. I just get another copy of the same deck. Since this deck means a lot to you, try cleaning it then keep it in a safe place and use it for personal readings. but be resigned: they get dirty and bent, and faded and worn and.... Ace

tarotbear	03 Jun 2005
Ace beat me to it -- fanning powder -- the stuff stage magicians use to make their cards slide easier for slight-of-hand tricks. It could be just the thing you need.

Little Baron	03 Jun 2005
Thankyou Ace and Tarotbear ... I will try and get the old one cleaned up and will reserve it just for myself. Using a deck like the RWS, at least I know that I can always find another copy easily and inexpensively. I had this feeling that it would be nice to always be using the same deck but now that I think of it, it doesn't make that much difference whether it is the exact same one, as long as the pictures are the same as what I am used to. I wouldn't expect other craftsmen to use the same tool for years on end if it was mangled, tarnished or blunt. LB

Umbrae	03 Jun 2005
My old RWS was 29 years old when it was retired for me. I never cleaned it. I only used fanning powder on it. Tannen’s in NYC is the biggest Magicians supplies store I can think of, and they ship world wide. Don’t know their counterpart in the UK. Just begin hunting down “magician’s supplies”.

Kiama	03 Jun 2005
My Robin Wood, which I've been reading with almost exclusively (at least for others) for nearly 5 years now, often sticks in clumps and is sticky like you describe. But I find, rubbing talcum powder into each card, back and front, one every 6-9 months helps, and gets rid of the stikcy-clumpiness immediately. Personally, I like using a worn deck. It feels nicer in my hands, and I should think it gives a querent more confidence in you as a reader - they can see you are likely to have had plenty of experience at reading! Kiama

Little Baron	03 Jun 2005
Thanks for all of the responses ... this morning, I cleaned down every card, back, front, and especially, side with a wet-wipe and let it dry up on the dresser. I used a small amount of talk on them afterwards. The deck is not as 'swishy' as a brand new one but it doesn't feel dirty and the sides look much cleaner. They don't clump together so much and they still feel like my deck. For the future, I will check out the Magician Fanning Powder ... thanks guys! LB

tao51	07 Jun 2005
powdered arrowroot will help considerably. My oldest deck responded successfully to this treatment. I usually was my hands before touching my cards. I rarely allow the querent to touch the cards. It keeps them cleaner of both dirt and confusing lpsychic energy.

The Retired and Dirty thread was originally posted on 02 Jun 2005 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.