Tomorrow is clean and dust the layout day for me. And no, I’m not looking forward to it at all but it has to be done at least once every six months or so. Not sure how you folks might go about it, but (while wearing a dust mask due to my asthma) I use a blow dryer set on low and cold with a cardboard cone on it to focus and blow the dust off while using a small paint brush to sweep and break the dust loose. As this is going on I have my A/C window unit running on high fan to draw the dust out which afterward I clean the filter on. Once I’m satisfied that the layout is clean, I put the track cleaning car and diesel loco on the tracks and clean them real well. Finally, I use the old vacuum cleaner to vacuum the carpet and wa la, we’re done… It generally takes me about an hour to do the whole thing, but then the layout is only six and a half feet long and three feet wide.
So far I haven’t had either layout long enough. I am at 15 months now and all I have had to do is vacuum off, carefully, the tops of engines and rolling stock. My “water” has needed a wipe or four. The green still looks quite good, and if push comes to shove I’ll just pour more. [;)]
Blowing the dust off your layout just puts it up in the air - where it will come back down - right on your layout!! A small, light powered vac - like a dustbuster or one made for cleaning computer keyboards - will get the dust OFF your layout and INTO a container. Whatever type of vac you use, put a clean bag into it so you can retrieve any of your little people - or anything else - that gets in it that shouldn’t!! My [2c]
I use one of these little 12v car vacs that works great for picking leftover debree from a layout project. I put clips on as you can see on the track to power it.
I have a 2-gallon air compressor for blowing the dust off things, right into the waiting dusting brush of my shop-vac. It’s been a while since I’ve given it a proper dusting.
EVERY 2 WEEKS! My stuff is particularly dirty. I use a large soft makeup brush to dust off cars, structures, trackage, and scenery. Once the debris and dust is loose, I use a regular vacuum cleaner with the hose attachment to suck it up.
Like I said, that’s why I turn my A/C fan on so that it’ll draw all of the dust out. Then all I have to do is carefully remove the filter and clean it outside.
When the layout gets dusty I use warm water in a spray bottle and generously spray every single thing on the layout and then it all rolls to the scenery actually disappearing after drying. It is a method I have used after someone else mentioned they did it that way and has been very successfull. It also gives the layout a fresh new look too.
I use a small brush and an old hand held Dust Buster my wife got years ago. I have one of those air purifiers in our living room and it really does reduce a lot of dust on that floor of the house. It wasn’t cheap though…I think you pay for what you get.
I use a narrow attachment on the Dirt Devil to vacuum the right of way. Keeps the stray cat hairs and blobs of ground foam from entering the nether regions of passing locomotives. I use a soft bristle paint brush to sweep the “water” in the river so it stays nominally shiney. I’ll also periodically use the same brush to clean off some of the rolling stock, usually before I shoot pictures.
