Dust. A collection's mortal enemy.

Stupid topic, but its something every collection has to deal with. Dust.
I see a lot of collections display on shelves out of a case. Massive collections. And hell, thinking of ditching my glass case and moving to a shelf. Let the toys breathe!
And then I thought, "The upkeep on that must but a pain! But it looks soo damn cool!"


So, what are your tips to dusting huge lots of toys?
The fuzzy-static duster?
Wipe each one individually?
Throw them all in a bucket and rinse?
Do you even care?!

I hate dust.

 

The few I have on display are out on a shelf. I HATE dusting, vacuuming and wiping. But I still have to do it. I'd keep them in the closed display. I prefer to have them in exhibit in the low numbers and big sizes. Easier that way.

 

Yeah, I put one of my toys out in the open on a dresser and I thought "Wow, for some reason, it looks cooler out in the open!" But I was thinking about getting a small, glass display to put on the shelf. Like a wooden-framed display case or something. So they are on a shelf, but in glass, but I don't have a huge three-shelf glass display taking space.

Super7 needs to make a shirt:
"FCK DUST!"

 

PS: Does anyone recommend any kind of small display case as I mention above and where I could pick up one?

 

^ Check Ikea

 

dust is the mortal enemy.

 

Dust isn't a big deal.

 

I've created a special and NEW method to destroy this "dust" you speak of. My original method of "using a damned duster" or "swiffer" has become so annoying and pedestrian. I've upgraded to a type of "canned air" that works well.

Also I sometimes capture my toys inside of cases of sorts to keep this "dust" from attacking and infecting the toys. They can be made from plastic or glass. I pass these sacred and new ways onto you.

 

Dust happens. This is what I keep my toys in and I still get some dust in the case. There's literally a 1/4 inch opening between the two pieces of glass and it still manages to get in there. I vacuum and wipe down everything in my house once a week. So basically you can lock up your toys like I do and delay the dust by a couple weeks or let them loose and clean them as you see fit. Either way, do what your little heart desires.

 

You know, I TOTALLY forgot about canned air. Wow. Genius!
Yeah, I got the 3-tier glass case from Ikea. Looking to down-size my collection to the cream of the crop, onto one shelf.
For know I shall let them breathe and tough through the dusty winds!

 

Seriously, the toys that I do have out are on the top of a bureau and I rarely dust them - maybe a few times a year. They're plastic - the dust wipes right off. I even have a flocked Skullbrain and occasionally blow the dust off using my lung power. Dust will not ruin your toys.

 

Dust/dusting does suck. For nice, stand alone display domes go here: http://www.finehomedisplays.com/glassdomes.asp
They have a bunch of sizes and price ranges.
Watch out if you have cats that have access to anywhere you might display these though. My cats blew one of these up real good. Luckily they didn't get cut.

 

Dusting is good exercise! I really don't mind doing it every now and then...



And its a good way to get acquainted with your toys again..

 

Good point. Dust is almost inevitable, even in most display cases... but the occasional dusting provides a good reason to pick up and handle your toys. Aside from cleaning, interaction with my toys consists of gawking at them through the glass door, or otherwise.

I keep most of my toys in glass cases to limit their dusting from every-couple-weeks to every-couple-months, but I do have a big shelf out in the open that I keep stocked as well. Usually I choose the more roundish or noncomplex toys, like Obake Ghosts and Globbies. They're just easier to run a cloth over without too many little crevices for dust to settle in. For instance, I'd prefer to keep my CCP Hedorahs in the case, as there are so many spaces for dust to settle beyond a cloth's reach. No fear of dust ruining toys. Just a mild hatred of seeing it on them.

 

Vinyl being porous, doesn't dust end up incrusting in the toy ?

I always thought it reduces the original shine of the vinyl.

My collection is entirely in glass cases and I rarely dust the toys (once a year maybe), though I could every month...

 

I use canned air, swiffter pads and towels with water for the hard stuff every few months. Its a pain, but I love my stuff too much.

 

You right. Did some dusting last night and started moving the guys out from the case. Totally worth taking the time and dust. They look such much more lively being out and, again, good time to get acquainted with the old and new.

 

i like Jay's fainting couch

 

I faint on that couch everytime I receive my credit card bills!

 

I look at it this way. If you display on shelves, the toys will get dusty much faster, but are much easier just to pick up and dust.
If you use Detolfs/cabinets the toys will take longer to get dusty, but when you come to dust, it seems like a mountain of a job, as you have to remove everything.
I have most stuff in Detolfs as my wife ain't over the moon about clutter and she likes to dust un-hindered by toys.
Saying that, what starts out to be a bit of a bore, usually ends up a stonking new display

 

everybody using canned air would be well advised to read some articles detailing the harmful effects of tetrafluoroethane. Maybe you care, maybe you don't...but using an actual duster isn't labor intensive.

http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2007/04/26/sorry-climate-i-had-to-clean-my-keyboard

 

I guess there are varying degrees of harm the dust can cause. For the bwana toys coated in the sticky glaze (a glaze which I admit I prefer!), the dust will stick and there is no getting it off. I've gone to great lengths to create a dust free environment for them. But for toys without a tacky surface, it's not the same problem, and i dust them now and again when I'm dusting everything else, using an old fashioned feather duster.

 

I have a pile of Deltofs throughout the house, and dust about once a month, but recently I discovered display cases at the Container Store that are designed to hold larger model race cars. Turned on their side, they are perfect for most of the Super7 toys.

 

This is how I feel, because my girlfriend stays on-top of dusting very well - but I know not everyone has this luxury. I don't want to imagine how grimy my collection would be without her cleaning it regularly.

For me, canned air (side effects / environmental harm aside) is out of the question because of my high volume of minis. I much prefer a thorough manual dusting keep my vinyls actually spot free, than an annual deep cleanse to free the buildup left behind from simply spraying the front & top of my toys.

 

Yes! I think that every time I dust. "I forgot how awesome this one is," or "oh yeah, the paint job on the back is just as cool as the front." Plus it's an opportunity to re-arrange things to keep their display fresh.

Microfiber cloth. Picks up dust like crazy and doesn't scratch anything. Probably more effective than spray cans which just blow dust back into the air.

With collecting comes management. It's just part of the game.