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Cleaning dusty LEGO

If you are displaying your LEGO creations on open shelves, eventually they will collect dust. However if you do a quick dusting on them on a regular basis, you can keep those dust-bunnies at bay.

The challenge of keeping LEGO dust-free is the studs on top of LEGO elements. It makes it hard to just wipe them off with a cloth, as you cannot get between the studs easily.

There are some other methods though, that are very successful in keeping your LEGO-displays clean. Check out the suggestions below! 😉

DUSTERS: natural feather dusters or synthetic dusters that are used to keep small display-items clean works quite well for LEGO cleaning. If you use this method, I would recommend dusting off you LEGO collection once a month. Here are some you might like listed on Amazon: Feather Dusters

BRUSHES: soft, natural fiber paintbrushes that artists use are very handy to get into small crevices. I would recommend getting a large brush for general dusting of your LEGO-displays, and a smaller one to get into small spaces. Makeup brushes also work wonderful! Again; I would recommend a once-a-month cleaning with this method. You can find them at local stores as well as a good selection on Amazon: Paint Brushes, Makeup Brushes

COMPRESSED-AIR DUSTERS: this is a product used to clean computer keyboards and other small electronics. It comes in a can, and provides a tremendous amount of air pressure to expel dust, yet it is safe for delicate items. Compressed-air cans are available at office supply stores. It is not cheap (about $5/can), but it does a really good job at cleaning away dust. My experience is that if you do a throughout cleaning of your LEGO collection with this method a couple of times a year, it will keep your displays in tip-top shape. Here are some examples: Compressed Air Dusters

VACUUM CLEANERS: Some small, handheld vacuum cleaners have an option of switching over to blowing out air, instead of sucking it in. They also have various large and small attachments to control the airflow. This is a good option for very large LEGO displays, mosaics, or sculptures, however because the airflow cannot be controlled nearly as well as with compressed-air dusters, it may blow off some of the LEGO elements that are not well attached. So, I would not recommend it for small LEGO displays with delicate details. Here is an excellent example of this type of vacuum cleaner:
Metro Vacuum MDV-1BA DataVac Pro 4.5-AMP Computer Vac/Blower

WARNING! Never use a vacuum cleaner in its normal, sucking setting to clean LEGO! Your LEGO bricks will end up in the belly of the monster! 🙁

You may also want to read these sections for further ideas:

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Cleaning dirty LEGO

Have you picked up a large tub of used LEGO at a garage sale? Did you find that some pieces were in need of some serious cleaning? Well, the good news is that LEGO is quite easy to clean and bring back to its original shine!

WASHING: in most cases you can just wash the dirt right off with warm water and a mild soap or detergent.  Make sure the water is not too hot (no more than 104 Fahrenheit or 40 Celsius) as this can damage plastic. If the water hurts your hand, it is too hot! This is the safest way to clean LEGO, and it is not difficult to do.

WARNING! Do not wash electric LEGO parts in water!

SOAKING: if pieces are very dirty, you can first soak them in the soapy solution overnight (or even longer) to loosen up the dirt and grime stuck to them. Then later use an old toothbrush to gently clean the little nooks between the studs, and crevices on the bottom where dirt can still hide.

RINSING: make sure you rinse off all LEGO pieces well so there is no residue left on the bricks from the cleaning solutions you used. Using a colander can really help in the process!

USING BLEACH: if you want to disinfect dirty LEGO parts you can ad a LITTLE bleach into the water solution. 1TBSP/gallon of water is safe and shouldn’t damage your LEGO bricks. Make sure you rinse them well!

USING ALCOHOL: for extremely dirty LEGO bricks you can use a bit of rubbing alcohol to wipe off grime. Keep the exposure to the alcohol brief (as longer exposure can fade the plastic), and make sure you rinse the pieces off fully when you’re done.

USING A DISHWASHER OR WASHING MACHINE: if you have lots of second-hand LEGO to clean, you may consider using a dishwasher or washing machine. Place you LEGO in a mesh-bag used for laundry delicates, and use the gentlest setting (otherwise you can seriously damage parts). If you are using a dishwasher, only use the top rack! Make sure the water is not too hot!  

WARNING! Do not use a clothes dryer or your dishwasher’s dry setting for LEGO as the heat can seriously warp them!

WARNING! Do not place electric LEGO parts, parts with batteries, or LEGO tires in the washing machine or dishwasher!

DRYING: Once your LEGO is clean spread them out well on a towel. Placing parts on their sides also helps so they don’t hold water. You may use an electric cooling fan to speed up the drying time. It may take a day or two for all your LEGO to fully dry.

You may also like to read these sections for further ideas:

Let your LEGO shine! 🙂

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