best way to clean dust off legos

[MWERA24]

Hey there! over time, a rather thick layer of dust has gathered over the legos that I haven't put in a display case. Was wondering what is the best way to clean this without disassembling it and washing the parts individually? Thank you all for your time. 

[JesseNight]

I don't know if it's the best way, I tend to use a duster brush with the brush made of soft longer hairs so they get into the models. It's not perfect but it does the job for a good part.
For smaller stuff I use a paint brush from similar soft hairs.

[MAB]

The best way is to not let it build up in the first place. Try using a vacuum on a low setting first to get off any loose dust. If it is more greasy dust that has stuck on, then you will need to wipe it off, using cotton buds to get into hard to reach areas.

[dr_spock]

I use a soft makeup blush brush. It works pretty good without scratching the plastic.

If you have an air compressor, then a blow gun works great too. Be mindful of the PSI it is set to.  :-)

[Artanis I]

Folks that clean computer towers often use spray cans of compressed air. I've never done it, but I imagine that to be a reasonable option too.

[MAB]

The problem with blowing dust off is that it puts it into the air and it will settle again. It is better to suck it up and trap it in a filter. 

[Ben S]

I also use a makeup brush, it works well and reaches every corner of the pieces.

I once heard a guy say that he shower with his Lego to clean the dust. So that's also an option lol.

[JesseNight]

Wouldn't do that last one unless you have a fine filter to cover the drain with, or you might end up losing small parts if they come loose.

[Toastie]

19 hours ago, dr_spock said:

I use a soft makeup blush brush.

Did you get that from Ms. dr_spock? To be honest: I got mine from my wife for the exact same purpose.

BTW: Swiffers also work nicely - you got to be a little careful though not to rip off stuff.

@dr_spock: I just realized - man, I'll PM you.

Best,
Thorsten

[Lego Tom]

11 hours ago, MAB said:

The problem with blowing dust off is that it puts it into the air and it will settle again. It is better to suck it up and trap it in a filter. 

Vacuum in one hand, air nozzle in the other. Vacuum won't catch 100% of the dust but it will get a lot of it, especially if you connect it to a decent sized box to act as a 'catcher'. A screen or piece of panty hose over the vacuum will prevent small parts from being sucked up.

[JesseNight]

That duster brush (not sure if it's the right word) I mentioned is pretty much the same as the blush brush, just a size up. Those things are really good to have in different sizes!

[MAB]

11 hours ago, Lego Tom said:

Vacuum in one hand, air nozzle in the other. Vacuum won't catch 100% of the dust but it will get a lot of it, especially if you connect it to a decent sized box to act as a 'catcher'. A screen or piece of panty hose over the vacuum will prevent small parts from being sucked up.

That is similar to what I use, although I use a soft brush with a low power 'desktop' vacuum cleaner. The brush to loosen dust, the vac to remove it.

[TeriXeri]

Vacuum attachment with small tube with a small brush attachment, better then blowing dust to someplace else, and it's small enough to easily clean studded areas, and the brushes are very soft.

Also pieces like 1x1 round stud won't even fit through the black tube right behind the brush, so most pieces are safe from ending up in the vacuum cleaner.

Looks like this , use terms like "universal mini vacuum kit" to get search results.

Edited April 15 by TeriXeri

[AmperZand]

I use a combination of things:

- cotton buds, dry

- cotton buds with isopropyl alcohol in liquid form or hand sanitiser gel

- a soft bristle nylon paint brush

- a blower with a nozzle & brush attachment. The blower is the kind used to clean keyboards and the like

- washing up liquid and warm water for certain individual parts such as baseplates. 

The dust that’s brushed/blown away doesn’t resettle on the LEGO because I move the minifigures or builds from their display shelves to my desk for cleaning. My desk, in turn, is dusted using a Dust Magnet and vacuumed.

I have designed my display collection so that it’s as modular/moveable as it can be. It’s not perfect; some areas are more easily reached/removed than others due to the limited space I have. But it mostly works.