Clean environment for displays

nah, you're just fucked. I've been collecting shit for years and I've never had that problem. Clean up a bit better and maybe it'll stop.

Or call pest control

>>6336461
Ok, that's nasty. No reason you should have silverfish or springtails on your SHELVES. Maybe in closets or in boxes. I feel for your collection. Could someone find out where OP is so we can liberate and save his figures from a bug shit encrusted moldy doom?

>>6336551
No silverfish

>>6336549
This may be a weird question but you've never had any sort of bug/pest get around your stuff? How often do you clean your displays?

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>>6336461
How the fuck did you get springtails indoors? I can only imagine them thriving in mold-tier moisture. Check your basement for leaks bro.

I introduced springtails into some of my terrariums as a cleanup crew. They have since spread to the other nearby tanks, but never show anywhere else. My terrarium shelf is next to my toy shelves too.

>>6336629
For the record I haven't had them identified, but they're very small, seem to "evade" being crushed with a small hop (could maybe be just air from me trying to get them), and i only see them in the basement.

>>6336889
I'm impressed you even knew what a springtail is

>>6336893
I was just looking for very tiny grey bugs, they don't seem like the other culprits and i've had a feeling the basement where i display my figures was "damp".

There seem to be many but more in the tens than the thousands getting inside.

I don't see them crawling on the figures as much as I see them on the shelves and some of the cases i have. Should I be worried about needing to do some special sort of cleaning to my figures either way or just worry about getting rid of them and dusting/cleaning regularly?

>>6336461
They like dirt, mold and damp places, get a dehumidifier. or move out of the basement.

>>6336584
I occasionally dust my display, but I've never once had a problem with this shit, and I keep my collection in a basement of all places. Clean your fucking house and call pest control.

>>6336584
>>6337192
Forgot you kept yours in a basement too. Should have reread the original post

But that just makes it worse. Get a dehumidifier and clean that basement from top to bottom.

>>6336898
I don't imagine they'll do any damage/lay eggs on your figures. If springtails could chew up plastic they'd be a lot harder to keep in terrariums

>>6336461
I can't attest to how well this will work on the springtails but I live in the mountains and we had a bad problem with centi/milipedes getting in the basement and just populating down there. Dehumidifier pretty much chased them all out and killed off those that couldn't get out. Both disgusting and immensely satisfying moving all the shelves and sweeping out the remains of all the dead bugs.

I have a different question from the OP, but as it relates to clean environments I figured I'd ask here. How do you keep soft toys from becoming dust sinks? My childhood stuffed animals are on a shelf display, but they're currently un-cuddleable due to releasing dust clouds if you give them so much as a squeeze. Are there any recommended cleaning/storing tips for this kind of thing?

>>6337514
I would say vacuum clean your stuffed toys and then store them in something that prevents accumulation of dust, like a glass door display case.

instead of vacuuming them you can also beat the shit out of them outdoors like they do with carpets. some advocate wiping down with microfiber cloth if they're delicate.

>>6337688
The problem with soft toys is that they are dust-generators themselves, so even if you have them in glass door displays, you have to beat them down regularly.

>>6337504
I really hope this works because the same room has a massive house centipede problem. At least last year when I set up a lot of my display in my basement it did.

I was killing maybe 2-3 centipedes every 2 nights.

I know they eat other bugs but i'd prefer to get and keep all the bugs out.

>>6337231
That's a lot of what I was worried about, not so much the eating but them laying eggs or "pooping" on my figures.

Right now i've moved the shelves away from the wall and haven't really seen any, i've seen a few near the window.

I should note that the only place i have to display the figures is under a window area, i was thinking after cleaning up better sprinkling some diatomaceous earth might be a good idea? It's not a normal window it's one of those basement type ones.

>>6337688
>>6337700
Thank you both, I'll get around to at least vacuuming the little shits every now and again.

>>6337706
House centipedes are your friends, man. You can't keep ALL bugs out of your house, so you should at least keep the useful ones who eat the ones that eat your food.

Any one ever deal with book lice? I usually let the spiders eat them and run a dehumidifier. BTW they sent really lice...they just have that unfortunate name. I know they eat mold, a problem I've had to deal with from time to time. I live in a really damp environment.

>>6338087
Did the dehumidifier work at all?

>>6337688
>>6337514
What can you do if you have dead bug carcasses and such dirt on your plush from storage.

There's nothing inside but i feel like i need to clean the damn thing somehow, disinefect it, whatever. It's a pretty sensitive plush too i should mention.

>>6340803
I think vintage teddybear collectors freeze them to kill bugs.

I've been dusting the shelves regularly since i posted and killing/capturing any of the things i've seen, and it seems like their numbers have reduced quite a bit. Also found moss right alongside the house i'm going to start treating.

So my final question on the rare change anybody here has any experience, is I've heard that UV light can kill or "disable" germs.

Do you guys think using that just as a final safety measure for cleaning (obviously not intending to use it routinely) would in any way damage the paint on my figures?

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This is the only relevant thread I could find, so... how do you clean THIS level of fuckery? My older sister was cleaning her bedroom and being an avid toy collector myself, she asked me if I could keep this in my bedroom for her. It's so damn neglected it looks like an old-ass pirate chest. Personally I would throw away the box and display the figures inside but it's not mine, so I want to clean it and try not to damage it while at it.

Thoughts?

>>6343134
You can just leave things out in the sun if you want to kill shit with UV.

UV light will eventually fade away almost everything though, whether it's through a bulb or the sun.

If you have any moss problems or other gross shit, just invest in a good broom, a brush, chlorox, a dust pan, a dehumidifier and an air purifier. Also, at LEAST monthly cleaning. Bi-weekly is ideal.

>>6347289
Alcohol.

90% and a paper towel.

Dab into towel. Scrub.
If any damage comes to the package, it was going to come off anyway.

>>6347289
Thanks anon. I'll give it a try and if this thread is still available within 24 hours from this post I might upload the result.

You know how moths hate lavender and mosquitoes hate frankincense? Would some sort of citrus oil and water dilution in a spray bottle help deter these pests?

>>6347400
Was meant for >>6347395
Sorry.

>>6347642
Are you asking or suggesting that?

>>6347642
I use camphor to deter ants. It's like cinnamon. I don't dilute it I just rub it on the walls with a q tip and watch them run. I bet most insects would hate this stuff.

Dehumidifier helps a whole lot too. A bugs biggest danger is actually lack of moisture. It has something to do with being hard shelled.

What do you guys say about freezing a plastic toy to kill a potential infestation. Would that harm plastic.

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>>6347395
Well I went to a pharmacy today, they didn't have 90% alcohol but they had 70% instead, I thought it was worth a shot anyways so I tried your suggestion and wow, the difference is like night and day, the box almost looks brand new now except for some small tears that I think were already there due to exposure to moisture for so many years. But really anon, thanks!

>>6348880
YES, don't do it. Plastic expands with cold temperatures so that could potentially damage joints and possibly break them if your toys have articulations.

>>6348890
>>6348880
Cold makes plastic CONTRACT.
And no, most plastics won't be damaged from being freezed. Just don't move it while it's still cold, because it will be more brittle when it's cold.

Heating and freezing plastic is actually a great way to fix stuck joints, as the expanding and contracting of the plastic will loosen up the areas that are fused together.

If there's actually shit growing and/or hatching from your toys, i recommend sticking it into really hot water too.
Fuck their shit up.
Shake the figure dry to get all the water out.

I've dunked almost all my toys into boiling hot water, btw. Figmas, Revoltechs, Figuarts, NECAs, Mezcos , Hasbros, etc etc. Ive only ever had one problem and that was with a HAsbro figure leaking paint and dying the water. Figure didn't seem to be affected though, so it probably came from an internal area and I've never seen that happen again.

I would not recommend dunking a figure that has a lot of hollow space though, like a giant sized figure. Also, figures like 3a and Acid Rain figures are other figures you dont want to do that with, since they're basically unfinished surfaces featuring a ton of unsealed paint. Cloth figures neither. Nor ones featuring stickers.
Oh, and since diecast is a shit material, any metallic figure is also a big no. That shit will start rusting almost immediately.

>>6348883
Yep, moisture is a bitch and can make things rip off over time. One of the reasons you'd want to use 90% alcohol too, so it doesn't absorb into the cardboard/paper causing further damage. 90% alcohol will evaporate way fast, which means you can do shit to whatever you want faster, instead of leaving it to dry for long.

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Does anybody have any suggestions for what kind of detergent I should be using? I just got a bunch of microfiber cloths to help dusting my displays, I know not to use bleach or fabric softener.

Trying not to sound like an ad but essentially was gunna go with the top rated one on amazon (something called chemical guys). Would that be good?

I got white cloths but I just wanna make sure i don't wind up using anything that might damage my figures.

>>6348901
Won't 90% alcohol damage the box? Likewise alcohol isn't good to clean figures with I thought.

>>6352122
60% and 90% alcohol are both equally likely to damage the box if they used on shitty varnish or lamination process. And that is very unlikely to happen with the majority of toylines and their boxes/cards
Spot test if you're scalper scum who cares about the resale value.

Higher alcohol by volume is less likely to cause moisture issues though, so 90% is best option.

As for paint jobs, most toys are sealed well enough that the paint wont come off. As mentioned, the toys that are likely going to have paint coming off are Acid Rain and 3A type toys with rough washes everywhere.

It's pretty extreme to use alcohol on a toy though. Just boil that shit and scrub it. Most toys can take it and you'll have a cleaner toy for it. Also, less likely to have stuck on dust, since you'll be taking off that lube that resides on 99% of toys that will harden dust to it if not dusted frequently.

What's the best method to get sticky (like caramel) substances off of a figure? I bought a Mako nendo secondhand and there's something sticky stuck on the bottom of her foot. Pretty sure it's caramel.

>>6359991
> I bought a Mako nendo secondhand and there's something sticky stuck on the bottom of her foot
>To the foot

Thats.... not caramel anon....

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>>6359991

Might be plasticizer.

>>6360078
is that what plasticizer sweating looks like because it's similar to that

>>6359997
anon no

>>6360696
Normal dishwashing soap and scrubbing. By normal I mean stuff without germicides/anti-septic stuff, those has solvents that can melt paint/plastic.

>>6360708
Thanks for the tip

On that note is there any way to de-germify a figure while cleaning? Or is that worrying too much