Do your action figures have a layer or three of dust built up on them? If they do, then you probably want to get them cleaned off and prevent it from happening again in the future. Well, in this article, we’ll be going through some methods for cleaning that dust off of your figures, as well as some ways you can stop dust from building up in the future.
Ways to Clean Dust off of Your Action Figures
Let’s just jump right into this. There a few different methods to cleaning the dust off of those figures. What you decide to do will probably depend on the amount of dust that has accumulated on your figures.
A Quick Dusting
One of the best practices you should follow if you have action figures on display is regularly dusting your action figures with a microfiber duster. Lightly dusting those figures once a week should go a long way in preventing dust build up.
If your figures already have a lot of dust on them, going over them with a microfiber duster will take care of a good amount of the surface level stuff. A smaller duster like this will allow for you to be more targeted and get into some of those harder to reach spots. You may also want to try a make-up brush.
The nice thing about microfiber duster is that they don’t simply scatter the dust around. The dust particles will stick to the duster, and you can dispose of them later when you clean the duster—which you don’t need to do all that frequently.
Blow It Away
Another way to get rid of dust is by hitting your figures with a blast of air. Canned air may work to get into the nooks and crannies that the microfiber dust just can’t reach. This will be a more precise cleaning.
The problem with using canned air is that you’re going to be blowing the dust around and some of it may just settle back on your action figures once you are done. For this reason, some recommend using a hose from a vacuum and sucking up the dust as it is scattered around by the blasts of air—this will prevent it from resettling. Just don’t use anything too strong to suck up the dust, if you do, you might end up sucking up some small pieces from your action figures, like weapons and other accessories.
If you are displaying a very large collection of action figures, you may want to invest in a small air compressor. Buying canned air on a regular basis is going to get expensive, so an air compressor would work more as a long-term solution. Here are some options for you:
- Metro Vacuum ED500P DataVac 500-Watt – Electric Duster (Amazon)
- XPOWER A-2 Airrow Pro Multi-Use Electric Computer Duster Dryer Air Pump Blower (Amazon)
- Compucleaner 2.0 Durable ABS Plastic Electric High-Pressure Air Duster (Amazon)
These air compressors are made for cleaning computers and related equipment, but should suffice for cleaning your dusty action figure collection. Just be aware that there are some downside to using air compressors. For one, they can get pretty noisy. In the case of the Metro Vacuum, it can run pretty hot after use.
Getting the Hard-to-Reach Spots
While blasting your figures with compressed air does work pretty well, sometimes dust has settled to the point where it is actually sticking to your figures. Once this happens, the air blast from those cans may not be strong enough to disperse that dust. You need a new plan of attack.
You may want to bring some water into the equation. Now, I’m not going to recommend washing your action figures just to get rid of dust. Instead we can use damp soft bristle toothbrushes and q-tips to clean the dust off of those surfaces and crevices where it has settled.
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Biodegradable Bamboo Toothbrushes, 10 Piece BPA Free Soft Bristles (Amazon)
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Pack of 500 White Q-Tip Cotton Swabs (Amazon)
The toothbrush does not need to be soaked, in fact, it can be completely dry; but I have found that if it is slightly damp, it really gets the job done well. You can use a rag or paper towel to wipe the figure down when you are done.
If you’re going to do this, my big recommendation for you is to not be too rough when you’re cleaning. Remember, action figures have paint, chrome finishes, and stickers; so be careful not to get too enthusiastic about cleaning them.
How to Prevent Dust Build Up
While it’s unlikely you’ll ever be able to prevent dust accumulation completely, there are things you can do to mitigate it.
For us older collectors, it’s likely that our action figures spend the majority of their time on display. This means they are not getting moved, so dust is going to build up more quickly.
If you want to slow down the process of dust building up, you should display your action figures somewhere where there won’t be a lot of movement, like in a closet or in a room in your home that is not used much. You see, dust is spread when people and animals are frequently kicking it up. Also, much of what we think of as dust is dead skin particles.
Closets, display cabinets, and display cases can shield your figures from the dust that is being spread around, at least, to a large degree. Your figures still will get dusty over time, but it will take much longer for that dust to build up.
If you’re interested in different methods of displaying your action figure collection, including methods of displaying those figures to best avoid dust build up, feel free to check out my post on displaying an action figure collection.