So Many Statues, So Much Dust: Five Spring Cleaning Tips for Collectors
Cleaning can be a real chore for collectors. All those statues collect so much dust! Is it possible to be a collector and a clean-freak?
Being a collector isn’t all unboxings and slightly-adjusting statues when you walk by. Having stuff means dusting stuff, and having a lot of stuff means that spring cleaning can be a real pain in the butt. I have a lot of knick-knacks. I love decorating with all of the action figures and statues I’ve collected over the years. So when springtime comes around, cleaning my place feels like an extra-large chore. Fortunately, I’ve picked up a few tricks for refreshing my decor and keeping dust off of my favorite tchotchkes. And as the “tidy up” season begins, I’ve found a few handy cleaning-for-collectors tricks to lighten my workload.
1. Cleaning Gel for Fine Detail Dusting
Does it look like something gross you’d order from Nickelodeon magazine and use it to make fart noises in its jar? Yes! But it’s actually meant for cleaning the interior of your car. But what it really works best for is cleaning all the nooks and crannies in your figurines. Cleaning gel gathers dust, but isn’t overly sticky, so it won’t stay anywhere you don’t want it to. This blue goo does all the detailing work with minimal elbow grease and maximum sensory satisfaction. Seriously, I’m considering making an ASMR channel that’s just me dusting my action figures. Stay tuned.
2. Put Your Comics on Display
Spring cleaning isn’t just about removing things – it’s also about sprucing up your space. A comic book collector with empty wall space is a great irony that the universe just cannot abide. And it really is a shame to have all of that beautiful cover art stored away in long-boxes all the time. Why not grab some comic book photo frames to display some of your favorite titles? As you can see, I’ve got several of these. They’re so easy to use, and I can switch them out when I add something new to my collection or when the holiday season comes around.
Now before the hardcore collectors pour into the comments with pitchforks, it’s important to note that this isn’t a surefire way to store comic books in the long term. If you have some super rare collectible comics, you might want to keep them bagged and boarded. Also be mindful of placing these frames in direct sunlight, because they’ll start to bleach out over a long period of time.
Not sure which comic books are considered valuable? Check out our guide on comic book collecting for people who want to collect comic books and aren’t Scrooge McDuck.
3. Remove Dust from the Air with an Air Purifier
When I got my air purifier, I was mainly concerned with eliminating pet hair and helping my own allergies. But I was surprised to find that putting my air purifier on the shelf near some of my shelf knick-knacks meant that I had to dust them a lot less. Plus, it serves as a wonderful source of white noise.
Air purifiers come in all kinds of sizes, and you can shop one on Amazon based on the square footage of your room. When shopping for a purifier, consider how often you’re required to change the filter. Often, filters with a longer life require less filter replacement, but also cost more up-front. Whichever option you choose, you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised by the difference in the air.
4. Add Some Greenery
Do plants actually clean things? No! But adding green things to your space is a no-brainer. Not only are plants also good for indoor air quality, but they brighten up any room and add character to any book or display shelf. Ivies are a great houseplant for first-time plant owners, and a beloved classic for regular green-thumbs like myself. Winding a tendril of bright green leaves around your awesome new Chief Chirpa statue would frame the Ewok so elegantly! And nothing says “spring” like an Ewok hiding in some luscious greenery.
5. Use Your Books as Shelf Decor
The key to good cleaning for collectors is finding a way to display all of the lovely things you collect. And you know what you probably have a lot of? Books! That’s right, even if you’re a digital reader, there are some books with covers too beautiful to hide. And a couple of book display stands allows you to fill plenty of negative space on your bookshelves. I have a bunch of Wonder Woman collectibles on one of my bookshelves, and I use the backdrop of a giant Wonder Woman art hardcover to fill the negative space behind the figures. This can be a great way to add pops of color or themes to your collectible decorations. Plus it might remind you to reread a favorite title.
