Burf2000 Posted August 19, 2009 Posted August 19, 2009 Just got back from hols and noticed how dusty my models are, i think if I had to clean each one by hand it would take weeks / months. What do others do? Uses compressed air? Quote
astra Posted August 19, 2009 Posted August 19, 2009 Compressed air is an option, however you have to put the nozzle not to close to your models, or you get very nasty stains from the (very cold) air. Personally I use a swiffer brush, those are very smooth and will swipe the dust right off Quote
Burf2000 Posted August 19, 2009 Author Posted August 19, 2009 Compressed air is an option, however you have to put the nozzle not to close to your models, or you get very nasty stains from the (very cold) air. Personally I use a swiffer brush, those are very smooth and will swipe the dust right off Cheers I go and get one at lunch time, Quote
salty tbone Posted August 19, 2009 Posted August 19, 2009 Swiffer has been the best product I've used to dust Lego, too. Quote
KimT Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 I use a toothbrush to gently brush off all dust. Swiffers are practically useless, the way I see it you might as well just put your lips together and blow You could also seal the room, leave a small air-vent and suck air into the room, thus forcing dusty air out through the air-vent. "Pretty simple, hoah?" Quote
astra Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 Really? A toothbrush? I would never ever use one to clean dust of my Lego items. A toothbrush is way to hard, you can easily scratch the Lego parts, even when you're doing it gently... Swiffer dóes work, only you need the brush not those swabs... and rotating the brush when using it also helps dust off the little particles Quote
Rick Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 How often do you guys clean your displays/displayed models? Quote
KimT Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 How often do you guys clean your displays/displayed models? When they're too dusty I don't think I've ever dusted my DSII which is currently on display. I probaly will when I take it apart in a few days. Quote
brickzone Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 I use a soft paintbrush - one of those flat ones about 2.5 cm wide. It's a bit of an abuse of a good (and not too cheap) paintbrush but it works a treat - removes most dust and doesn't scratch (specifically because it's so soft it'll only pick up light dust, not any dirt that would scratch). Quick too. Static isn't an issue with the one I have now but I tried another "swishier" one that built up static so the dust clung again to the model. And that's here in Ireland where the damp climate means static buildup isn't as common as parts of the US etc. (indeed a lot of precautions for electronics are routinely ignored here). Some other places might be trickier (I'm recollecting a trip to Boston where I had to use a stick to remove a soft blanket from a hotel bed - doing it by hand electrocuted me so much). Quote
astra Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 Erhm... you could buy a soft toothbrush Even soft toothbrushes are usually to hard... A soft paintbrush however is also a very good idea! Never thought about that, actually... And how much I clean my models? Usually once a month, sometimes I take them apart since I can do the cleaner much more easier then. Quote
LordGalewind Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 For assembled models brushes, air, etc do get the dust and some dirt off the areas you can reach... However, if you've had a set that has sat out for well over a year I recommend the following: 1) Dissassemble your set 2) Put parts in ROOM TEMPERATURE water in some sort of container, bucket, whatever you prefer(any changes in temperature can cause pieces to become brittle or cracked) 3) Let sit in water, uses a soft brush tooth brush to remove any dirt/grime that wont dissolve by itself in the water 4) Remove the parts from the water, the lay on a towel and pat them down then apply a fan (no heat, no sunlight) for awhile until dry (this will prevent water spots and overall dries your sets in a good fashion) 5) Reassemble and show off your factory restored shine on your sets! I have used this on several of my sets and it works fantastic! Quote
fenrir Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 I use paintbrushes. very cheap and it works very well. Quote
Burf2000 Posted August 20, 2009 Author Posted August 20, 2009 I washed some lego carefully and some how it started to smell wierd?? Quote
muffinman42 Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 i dont think ive had a model in one piece long enought for it to get dusty. but looking at some pieces theres tons of dust between the studs! a toothbrush(the decent type not a 50p cheap-o) works well. Quote
Joey Lock Posted August 20, 2009 Posted August 20, 2009 I hate when sets get dirty. Because I have to cats and they come in and out of my room, Most pictures of my models have annoying hairs on them, And sometimes they might have a hair stuck between two bricks that has been piled on, e.t.c. My HMS Unicorn. So is there a easy way to take off Dust and Hairs without washing them? Because I dont think air would get hairs out that well, cause cat hairs are sticky Quote
Hewman Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 Erhm... you could buy a soft toothbrush That's what I do, but I don't go for the adult 'soft' I get toothbrushes that are designed for small children, they're way gentler than the softest adult brush and don't leave marks on the lego at all. Plus there's great choice in children's toothbrushes from Disney characters to Mr Men... Quote
Svelte Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 I find an ordinary soft horsehair paintbrushes fine, and you can get different sizes depending on whether you need to sweep large areas or get into those nooks and crannies Quote
CP5670 Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 As some people have said, the Swiffer products are excellent for this and require no disassembly or washing of the model, although they won't remove sticky stuff like dirt. I settled on those after trying many other things over the years. Compressed air products like Dust-off also work, but you will run through them very quickly if you have a reasonably large collection. Quote
KimT Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 I hate when sets get dirty. Because I have to cats and they... How about putting up a "No Cats!"-sign on your door? Quote
Joey Lock Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 How about putting up a "No Cats!"-sign on your door? They just scracth the door with there hands which gets annoying. Anywho, I tryed your ToothBrush Idea and I wet a spare one, got all the dust off in about 10 seconds! Quote
Burf2000 Posted August 21, 2009 Author Posted August 21, 2009 Anyone fancy cleaning my 400 + models? Quote
Joey Lock Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 Anyone fancy cleaning my 400 + models? Sure, Send me the lego, I can't guarantee you'll see it again but, Ill try my best. Quote
Big Cam Posted August 21, 2009 Posted August 21, 2009 I'll add my story and advice/warning. I'm 27 and I have lots of lego's from my childhood late 80's early 90's. When i finally went home to ge tthem, I had a bunch of sets asembled in my parents basement and the dust was so thick and nasty, you couldn't blow it off or even wipe it off. I actually took all my sets apart, piece by piece, and cleaned them with a rag and bucket of water and a towel to dry them. It took me weeks, literally. I'll never leave a set assembled and not dust it for more than a month. A little bit of canned air goes a long way. As long as you dust them off or blow them off every now and then, they will be fine, and in perfect display condition. Quote
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