How do you keep your collection clean? Options

[Gizmoboy]

I recently was able to get my collection out of storage after more than 3 years. I had to pack things up in quite a hurry back then as I had 2 days notice that my sister-in-law was moving in with us. Needless to say in the rush of packing, I didn't really have time to clean things off much before packing them away.

Fast-forward to this past weekend. I am finally setting everything back up and I notice how dusty some of the figures are. I had a swiffer duster with me and was going over each figure as I pulled it out before putting it on the shelf. However, those dusters are really only good for loose surface dust, not dust that has had time to settle in all the little nooks and crannies that our beloved toys tend to have.

So, I pose the question to the community, what techniques do you use to keep your collection nice and clean? How do you clean those hard to get to nooks and crannies on your figures? What techniques should one avoid to keep from damaging their figures?

[Megaplex Prime]

I employ a rather crude method for my non-electronic toys, in that I run them under blasting water from the main spount in the bath tub. And then shake'em like a dog until they dry. Gets rid of all the dust/dirt quickly and completely. As for electronic toys, well, you can use one of those compressed air duster cans that they use on keyboards, but not much else out there that can get stuff outta them in a timely manner.

[Llwynoh]

For dusting I generally use a clean paint brush (hobbyist or larger depending on the size of the figure) with bristles suitable for the depth of the crannies of the figure. I also keep a couple clean, soft tooth brushes handy as well, as they are great for figures that have lots of moulded details that have gotten dusty, like many of the movieverse figures.

For spot cleaning I use a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip cotton swab. You can also restore lustre to surface damaged G1 era stickers with this method. You want to be sure the sticker is already damaged, as the alcohol will remove some of the color the longer you apply it. This is only recommended for figures with existing poor stickers.

I have also heard Goo-gone is great for removing old sticker or adhesives, and Reprolabels.com has said that even warm soapy water is OK for large, non electronic minimally mechanical figures that require cleaning/sticker removal, such as G1 Metroplex.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Cotton swabs are good for getting into the cracks. I do NOT recommend using water on settled-in dust, it tends to cake in harder and become rather cement-like.

[Megaplex Prime]

Cotton swabs are good for getting into the cracks. I do NOT recommend using water on settled-in dust, it tends to cake in harder and become rather cement-like.

Depends on you hard the water comes blasting out the spout, lol. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

My RiD Megatron was caked in as caked-can-be-with dust and dirt from years of just laying under my bed when I didn't have my own space to store my collection. I just blasted him with water from the showerhead and all was OK. No caked-in dust at all left over, cementing or otherwise. Again, the water was blasting pretty hard, and could have taken the backside off a mule. OK, not THAT hard, but still, hard-blasting water is the key.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-ironhide.gif)

[Creature SH]

I would never spray any Transformers with water. There are oodles of screws and pins that can gather some lovely rust.

[Axaday]

I keep them clean by keeping them in a separate building where no one lives. The dust in our houses is made of people.

[tec]

As members here have seen I dont dust my TFs offten enough because it affects my asmha badly

and running waterover TF can never be a good thing expecaly on G1s and there myrad of stickers,screws and pins

[The Doctor Who]

Right now? I don't... but when I do, I use a small, plastic duster and then a painters brush to get dust out of the smaller spaces.

Yes, this requires dusting each figure by hand, and that's one reason I haven't in a while... I must have a couple hundred figures... I'm afraid to go down that road.

[Cabooceratops]

I just play with my figures enough that they generally avoid getting dusty. *Shrug*

This post has been edited by Cabooceratops: Aug 23 2011, 05:47 PM

[Gizmoboy]

I just play with my figures enough that they generally avoid getting dusty. *Shrug*

Hopefully that will be the case for me soon as well. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

[Loki Corvinus]

I just play with my figures enough that they generally avoid getting dusty. *Shrug*

Hopefully that will be the case for me soon as well. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

I use a microfiber cloth and a portable air compressor to blast the dust off. Tried water a long time ago and it just made the screws rust. This what I use for both my toys and my computers http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-5...7785&sr=8-1 Ends up being cheaper than Dust Off in the long run.

[Benbot]

Is it good or bad to use that air in a can stuff for cleaning computers and keyboards?

[Hydra]

Compressed air in a a can. When you have hundreds of Transformers, hand-cleaning each is not an option.

[Gizmoboy]

I tried using the air-in-a-can before. When you do it on a regular basis it works great. If the dust is kind of caked on after sitting on the figure for 3 years, it doesn't work so well. I'm going to try the hard bristled tooth brush and paint brush idea I think. It will take a long time but if I set a goal of two shelves a week, I'll be done by the end of the year. That is for a detailed cleaning. I'll continue with the compressed air and swiffer type dust clothes for a weekly once over. Hopefully that will keep them clean for the long hall.

[The Doctor Who]

Beware too stiff of bristles, though. Some figures, like Classics Prowl have been reported to have bad paint apps, and excessive scrubbing could damage the paint work.

[Goblez]

I use compressed air for the most part. sometimes contact cleaner depending on the toy

[jazzgirl84]

Like TheMightyMollusk, I use cotton swabs. Just spray a bit of Pledge or Endust on it and go to town! This is an every other week project, time consuming but worth it. It was the best of the 5 ways I tried, so it's what I do.

[Defensis Prime]

Compressed air in a a can. When you have hundreds of Transformers, hand-cleaning each is not an option.

Nobody ever told me that.

(As I'd sooner avoid the difluoroethane, I'd've ignored 'em if they had, anyway, so...)

[Fenix Twilight]

I use canned air and a wet paper towel/napkin.