I know eBay pretty well. I’ve been using it for about 20 years, and at when I was at university it became my only source of income for a little while. I’ve traded everything from Babylon 5 videos (purchased wholesale just before the DVDs were released) to boudoir grand pianos (yes, plural). So, when I decided to restart my Star Wars collection, eBay was my first port of call… although I’ve also picked up a few pieces from charity shops and collectors’ fairs, here and there.
Regardless of where they come from, there’s usually some cleaning required before I can figure out exactly what I’ve got. These are toys, after all, and it’s a fairly well documented truth that children are grubby little beasts. Their possessions often reflect that, most especially after almost 40 years.
DISCLAIMER: This is my own personal process for cleaning old toys. I know there are almost certainly better/safer ways, but I’m not going to be getting my hands on any top-graded AFA specimens any time soon – that’s not my thing, really.
STEP 1 – Which toys, and why?
Here’s a heap of action figures from an eBay lot I picked up. They’re in reasonably good shape, with tight limbs and no obvious damage, but that’s not always the case.
As well as all manner of filth from years of play, these vintage toys have often been sitting in the attics/garages/basements/closets of their former owners (or their parents) for decades. I’ve seen mould, engine oil, clay, bat droppings, mud, rust… Also, the plastics used in the 1970s and 80s toy manufacturing processes tend to exude a waxy, dusty residue, which I gather is due to some nasty, scary things called phthalates. Because of this, almost all Star Wars action figures will become sticky over time.
Luckily, most of this stuff can be cleaned away pretty easily, if the figure underneath is something you still want to handle afterwards.
The trick is in getting the gunk off without damaging the paint on the toy, or forcing water into the joints and hollows, causing them to loosen. (Kenner’s range of Star Wars action figures were pretty good at surviving all those childhood bath time dunkings, but the vehicles or other toys may not survive so well!)
A bar of inexpensive, unscented hand soap will cut through just fine – it’s better than liquid detergents, and won’t make the figures too slippery while you work. A soft-bristled toothbrush will be much cheaper than any specialised cleaning implements, and perfectly acceptable for our purposes. I think all of this cost me less than a quid in total, and it all lives very handily in the cupboard under my bathroom sink. I’d probably get bored of this hobby (or completely finish my collection) before it runs out, too.
STEP 2 – Scrub-a-dub dub!
Generally, just to be safe, I try to avoid actually submerging toys in water. (I guess it’s like having a shower vs. taking a bath?) I work on batches of up to 5 figures at a time, or a single small vehicle, or handful of accessories. Use cold or lukewarm water wherever possible.
Start off by putting some soap on your wet hands and working it around the toy. Try to skim every external surface, making sure to move articulations like the legs and arms to get in between them.
Once the figures have rested for a few minutes, you may even see some of the dirt starting to pool or drip off. It’s actually amazing just how gross these old playthings can be, if they weren’t taken care of by fastidious nerds who kept them in sealed display cases for the past 30 years…!
(It didn’t occur to me at the time, but take a look at the Leia in these pictures – her ankle has some REVOLTING matter clinging to it, but by the end she was in great shape.)
Next up, working on each figure in turn, dab the wet toothbrush into the soap and then work up a lather on the sculpted details. There’s no universal rules for this – try to “go with the grain”, making sure you run the bristles into and through all the lines and recesses at least a few times.
I tend to start with the chest, face and head, then down the front and sides of the legs, then the outsides of the arms, then all down the back. Move the arms to get at the sides of the torso and the insides of the arms themselves (including open hands, which can be filth traps!) before pulling one leg up 90 degrees to get at the inside of each, and finally pull the other leg up to scrub the crotch and butt. Just check those leg joints in particular, one last time, for anything you might have missed.
Then rinse the toy under cold water from the tap, to get the suds off, and set it aside. Rinse your brush, and repeat the process with the next figure in the batch.
When you’re done, you might already be surprised how much brighter these toys look, but give them a quick check, and a second scrub if required. The Lando here actually had some sticky (glue?) residue on the left leg, which I didn’t notice until after cleaning him.
Once you’re happy, give everything one final rinse under the tap, then dry them by hand with a flannel or washcloth. I’ve seen people putting them on radiators, or giving them a blast with a hairdryer – I wouldn’t advise either of these things, as heat can soften the plastic and allow water to penetrate more deeply into the toy, or again possibly cause the joints to loosen. Loose is generally bad.
STEP 3 – Okay, now ACTUALLY dry them
Getting the visible water off the outside of the figure is only the first step. I’ve seen toys drip for a day or more, if you put them straight out after cleaning…
So, I prefer to leave them somewhere dry (i.e. not in the bathroom) at room temperature for a minimum of 24 hours, to let that water evaporate away.
I have a handy shelf next to the computer in my office, where I lay drying toys out for as long as I can. Putting them on a paper towel or napkin will soak up any dribbles, but make sure you leave space between them.
If you feel like you need to (or if you remember) you can turn them over, move the limbs around, whatever you think will help. Also, for particularly detail-heavy figures or larger, more complicated assemblies like mini-rigs or vehicles, you might want to leave them near an open window, or with a desk fan moving air over them.
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I mean, that’s basically it. I’d recommend cleaning pretty much any toy that isn’t broken, even just so you can get a better look at it and decide if you want to keep it, or sell it on. I’ve been working on some shortcuts for non-articulated pieces, and also really messed up or, like, biohazard-level grossness (again, you’d probably be surprised what’s out there!) but I’ll talk more about those another time.
ItPaysToBeAGeek 