Ok how to clean THIS one?

[Lego Otaku]

I found a few LEGO sets at garage sale today and all but one were mostly clean, just a bit of dust. The one pictured below had 2 mouse nests and it looks like it's been sitting outside for a few years. No doubt covered in animal bodily wastes.

I was going to get disposable gloves and completely dissemble it to have it cleaned. But how would this get cleaned since it's extra filthy and probably a bio-hazard?

At a glance, it seems to be missing the rear spoiler piece (one or 2 plates) and a whole blue seat.

[Cwetqo]

I once had a case just like this. It was 8880, left do dust for 20 years in smoking household. It was as dirty as yours, but there were at least no moouse wastes.

I took it to bathtub and gave it a good splash with very hot water. After that I sprayed it with dish detergent and again rinse it with hot water. I disassembled it (in your case better with gloves) and put parts in container filled with hot water and detergent and let it soak for some time. After that I separated smaller parts and run some water thru them and they were ok. Larger part (beams,technic bricks with holes and especially black plates) I had to brush manually and repeat detergent/soak/rinse process.

Sets looked like really great after that.

[Roger_Smith]

In the case of something this dirty, I'd first give it a good showering with hot water, then disassemble it using gloves, put the pieces in laundry bags or old cloth bags (make siure they can't open, i.e. by using zip-ties) and throw the whole lot in the washing machine. I bought several lots of used Lego over the past 18 months, ranging from fairly clean to very dirty, and they all looked like new after that treatment.

You just have to make sure that the bags used are intact. You don't want one of them splitting open in mid-wash, trust me... 1x16 bricks or large plates are a risk factor here, so I usually put those in extra.

[alois]

The problem with exactly this set is that is filled with old style black pins, which are almost impossible to remove, all the more with gloves. My hands hurt when I had disassembled one a couple of years ago. So I would try to clean it before disassembling, and start the disassembling process after it's been reasonably cleaned and no longer a biohazard.

[TheLegGodt]

Won't those black pins remove using the lego brick separator?

[Wodanis]

My advice as I had some Lego be subjected to mouse waste was to simply take the parts and wash them in a bucket with warm water and dish soap. Worked like a charm and after a few soaks and rinses them came out properly.

[grum64]

To disinfect it thoroughly and without harming the parts I suggest you soak it in a solution of Milton sterilising fluid.

If it's gentle enough to be used for those most precious to us it's gentle enough to be used our beloved little ABS friends.

[blakeatron]

I made a bad eBay purchase once, just like yours. First step was straight in the dishwasher on a 30!

[zux]

I made a bad eBay purchase once, just like yours. First step was straight in the dishwasher on a 30!

After watching a video inside of dishwasher showing how it actually works - doesn't look good for cleaning from animal waste. Don't forget you wash your dishes there... I'd suggest using washing machine instead

[Freekysch]

Yeah, do not put animal waste in the dish washer. It may contain parasites or bacteria who will live happily-ever-after in your dish washer. If you want to be sure you got rid of all germs, after you was it with put all the parts under a UV light (it destroys bacteria).

Edited June 25, 2014 by Freekysch

[zux]

...put all the parts under a UV light (it destroys bacteria).

I read somewhere UV, isn't good for bricks too.

[talos]

My advice as I had some Lego be subjected to mouse waste was to simply take the parts and wash them in a bucket with warm water and dish soap. Worked like a charm and after a few soaks and rinses them came out properly.

I agree, a big laundry tub of detergent water, let it sit there for a while then rinse and repeat! Haha..yuck.

I am currently soaking a bunch of yellowed white parts I got on BrickLink, they didn't tell me how bad they were... :(

[blakeatron]

I can see what you are saying about the dishwasher, but a nice hot wash after will kill most things off.

Not like the time I cleaned engine parts In there...

[Peppermint_M]

Oh. I shall have to keep an eye on the progress here. I inherited that exact set from my uncle, only his spent fifteen years on a shelf collecting dust and bug carcasses. Not quite as icky.

[DuckBricks]

I had a similar experience with the Neptune Discovery Lab my uncle had given me... I was visiting him and he had mentioned he might have some old LEGO sets in his garage. I had checked it out and found it sitting in a cupboard... with a hornet's nest in it. Apparently a bunch of hornets had gotten past that front door piece and made a nest in the back... After fleeing from the hornets I returned and disassembled it with gloves, and after a good long soak in really hot water, I took each piece out and scrubbed it down with a sponge, and finally soaked everything in detergent.

[1974]

Nuke it from orbit, only way to be safe!

I'd spray some anti rodent whatever on the lot, hose it, take it apart and throw it into the washingmachine in suitable bags. Works wonders for me