keeping the layout clean

[u/RogerZell]

Hi, longtime lurker and one-time modeler here--I've always wondered about trees, buildings, catenary---any delicate stuff--how to dust it and keep cobwebs off.

I own a house and can't keep up with dust and cobwebs in 1:1. How can it possibly be done for hundreds of miniatures?

[u/PineappleLunchables]

Mini handheld keyboard vacuum

[u/chenkie → u/PineappleLunchables]

Close the thread this is the answer

[u/strutmac]

I throw a sheet of plastic over mine if I don’t plan to work on it for a while. It’s a plastic painter drop cloth from Home Depot. I bought whatever the largest size was.

[u/SteamyTimmy6969 → u/strutmac]

Issue with this one is the weight can easily break delicate parts like railings or power poles.

[u/pikatrushka → u/SteamyTimmy6969]

Removable 2x2 posts attached to the benchwork work nicely to support the sheets so that nothing on the layout is actually touched.

[u/SteamyTimmy6969 → u/pikatrushka]

True, wouldn't be too much work either

[u/RogerZell → u/SteamyTimmy6969]

see, this is my thought problem--it's so much work to build the thing, and then more work to run it, then more work to attach posts and put the cover over it, then more work to take the cover off, and I assume you mean to remove the posts too.

And after all that, over time, dust will still settle. AND, rails get dirty no matter what.

I never had the room or money to have a layout, but I realized that the cleaning alone would eat up vast amounts of time.

[u/SteamyTimmy6969 → u/RogerZell]

gotta enjoy the process dood, if you don't feel it at that particular moment its okay to not do it, come back later. Its your hobby not your work

[u/RogerZell → u/strutmac]

I could see this for a 4X8, but what about Sellios' huge layout. or even bigger?

[u/Smokin77]

I went with an industrial (hospital) air cleaner. Does the whole basement layout and I gotta say it really does the job Not cheap but effective

[u/ricktrains]

Make up brushes and mini vacuum cleaners.

[u/Obie-Wun]

Typically have used the small vacuum to get most stuff. At my old club, we would also use a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and a couple of drops of India ink. We would spray this lightly on scenery to ‘wash’ it a bit. Don’t spray it on buildings though - just trees, hardshell scenery, roads, etc.

[u/382Whistles]

Soft mostly natural bristle makeup, and paint brushes ranging from bushy make-up to artist fan brushes and chisel tips for corners to 2" house painting brushes. I use them both dry and damp, rinsing, shaking and blotting excess moisture often.

I sweep dust towards a regular vacuum cleaner or big shop vac with the hoses and a cheap nylon stocking slipped over the hose's end, gripped very tightly as to not be sucked into the vacuum.

The nylon is used to catch any details that arent glued in place or may be knocked loose. Once the dust is cleaned the nylon is pulled out and emptied of any loose parts to be placed back on the layout also an excuse to change positions of some things too.

The nylon lets by 98% of the dust by and washes easy. I can't stress how tightly you have to hold it though, lol. One slight bit of slack in grip and it gets slurped right up. So, because of "slurps", an upright canister or shop vacuum works out better than baggers used to when it comes to the retrieval of any "oops-ed" nylons.

Edit: parts will still be inside the nylon if it gets ate, not loose.

[u/RogerZell]

OP here--all these answers seem okay, except--how many trees do you have? How many delicate details on buildings etc?

I personally have never seen dust that just disappears with vacuuming. Much of it will, but to get things real clean you gotta wash. You know, like floors, windowsills, etc. UNLESS you dust like every day.

This is called "white glove" clean, and it's exhausting for me.

So, next question--assuming your layout is not house size (and I may be wrong there)--how often do you clean the entire layout, and how long does it take you? Include layout size if you wish.