How to store wet WSO paintings

How do you store your WSO paintings:

1. Until they are dry to the touch?
   
2. Until they have cured and can be varnished?
   

I found space on the top of my wall unit to put my painting from Sunday, but I worry about dust. Are there better ways to move it out of the way from my easel, etc.,

My wife and I store them vertically, in our basement studio. Not ideal, but I think that vertical is better than flat, to reduce the chance of dust falling on the wet surface. Best might be to store them vertically in a clean room until they are dry to the touch. We wipe our paintings with a microfibre cloth to remove dust before varnishing.

I have several small inexpensive table-top easels that I use to stand the finished painting on for a few days. Then I try to stand them vertically for storage.

Leaning the painting against a wall with it only touching at the edge or corner, or somehow tilted forward when not in use is a simple and effective way to help keep off dust. I would recommend not doing this on the floor or near a window, however. I also have an old large cardboard portfolio that's sort like a thin box, and I can slip a painting into it when not in use. When I'm painting on stretched canvas I hang it on a metal rack in the studio closet facing the wall.

Thank you all! I had just the day before asking this set the painting on a bookshelf up out of the way of accidental bumping or touching, but had laid it down flat. After reading your messages about the dust and dirt, I went and put it upright on the top of the bookshelf leaning against the wall!

My biggest concern was getting bumped or touched, accidentally, by either of my boys (just turned 13 years old - twins) or the yellow lab we have if they came into the office bouncing around and being crazy. That happens fairly frequently in our house! I feel a bit better now that it has been over a week and it is completely dry to the touch, though I haven't checked to see how soft it is while it goes through it's curing process.

It sounds like you have three energetic challenges in your house...I love yellow labs.

I have a question about storing ws oils to dry....

I can hang them vertically in my basement which is totally empty and surprisingly pretty free of dust, (we only use the basement, so I get it for art storage! Yay!!) but with oils I heard of darkening problems? (it isn't too bright down there) and also I have some spare easels and cloths and I was going to put paintings on them and drip the cloth loosely over to limit dust getting in. Is this a sound method for oil drying?

Sometimes oil will yellow, if it has been stored in a dark room for a very long time. If this happens, you can set it out in the sun for a few hours and it should lighten back up. I wouldn't put an cloths on them until they are at least dry to the touch. dbclemons suggestion is probably the easiest. Good luck!
Dayle

Thanks Dayle!

So, if a painting has accidentally darkened I just put it in the sun? Well good to know! I thought the consequence would be irreversible, which scared me...

I can try to test one canvas when I'll buy the paints, (once I decide whether oils or w/s oils, I might just buy 1 tube of each and that's it) and put it in the basement to see if it absorbs any dust on the wet paint, I suppose that will give me a good idea..

Thanks again!