| Summary: | For connoisseurs of antiques and antiquities, cleaning old
objects can reduce their value. In five experiments (total N = 1,019), we show
that lay people also often judge that old objects are worth less when cleaned,
and we test two explanations for why cleaning can reduce object value. In
Experiment 1, participants judged that cleaning an old object would reduce its
value, but judged that cleaning would not reduce the value of an object made
from a rare material. In Experiments 2 and 3 we described the nature, age and
origin of the traces that cleaning would remove. Now participants judged that
cleaning old historical traces would reduce the object’s value, but cleaning
recently acquired traces would not. In Experiment 4, participants judged that
the current value of an old object is reduced even when it was cleaned in
ancient times. However, participants in Experiment 5 valued objects cleaned in
ancient times as much as uncleaned ones, while judging that objects cleaned
recently are worth less. Together, our findings suggest that cleaning objects
may reduce value by removing valued historical traces, and by changing objects
from their historic state. We also outline potential implications for previous
studies showing that cleaning reduces the value of objects used by admired
celebrities.
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