This may be a dumb question but how do you guys clean your layout? I mean cleaning the buildings, should pose no problem, but how do you clean the landscape, like the trees, and grass. My layout is still in the building stages, so thats not a problem for me, but sooner or later things like dust will settle on the trees, and grass, when that happens what do you guys recommend?
Paul
Use a vacuum cleaner that has attachments to clean the layout scenery and cut a small piece of window screen and put it over the end of the nozzle, tie it in place with a twist tie. Dust will go through but not any parts or people figures.
Lee F.
a definet advantage to staying with green plywood. pickup the buildings,people, and cars, and wipe it down.
Paul: Your question falls into my personal file called: “Questions I’d really like to have a practical answer to, have asked before and are afraid to ask again”.
I’m going to follow this thread with great interest. Thanks for posting the topic.
I have a small layout with green felt over plywood. I use the vacum cleaner hose with the brush attachment.
Here is a handy household hint to tuck away in the back of your mind: when felt becomes wooly and fuzzy you can use an electric beard trimmer to shear the fuzzy part, which can then be cleaned up with the vacum cleaner hose.
At the flea market I had found an attachment set for the vacuum cleaner. It has an adapter to fit the nozzle on the hose reducing down to a 1/2" hose and then a set of small nozzles that are used for cleaning computers, etc. For the most part cobwebs seem to be my most dominant occurance. I usually clean the layout, maybe, once a year, or if I’m going to take photos, or have a few folks over.
The trick is, don’t lift an object to see the “clean” area under it[:D]. My layout is in a fairly dust-free location (windows never opened), so my main thing is to get rid of a spider web or dead ladybug now and then. I use a soft brush every 2 months or so on the tops of trains and diecast cars. Joe
Don’t forget to clean the wiring too. With AC, the electrons stay in the wires and just wiggle back and forth. After a while they get pretty stale. I disconnect everything and then flush the wires out with a good dose of DC. Once a year is enough. I do mine in the spring, usually at the beginning of April.
I use a small dirt devil vac for sawdust and the big stuff. For dusting I use a swiffler dust thingy with the extended handle. I also have a filter over the supply duct to the room to attempt to keep the dust coming in to a minimum. Besides the dust makes it look more life like[:-^]
Jim
Bob
I did that but after flushing with the DC I could not get the AC electrons to go back in, seems as soon as they are out in the air they expand and I haven’t found a way to reduce there size.
So here I am with empty wires.
Also The DC electrons wouldn’t even work because they must have figured they could go both ways. [%-)]
Holy panic attack, Batman! Our layout is almost 3 years old and I’ve never done that! That explains why the trains have been slowing down and the smoke units aren’t working as well.
We have a few DC power packs for our HO trains. I’ll make sure to hook one up and clean the wires tonight. Thanks for the tip, Bob. I never would have known!
Jim
i always though a gud flush with 220V would clear out dem der wires.
[:D][:D][:D]
Regards,
John
Very soft long bristled paint brush will dust things. I have found that a Ionic Breeze [yes the ones you see on TV] will help keep dust down. My wife was given one and we use it in the livingroom. Dust went down tremendously. So when I built the layout upstairs, I bought one for that room. Works great and really helps.
I used to have a bunch of little “O” people who ran a janitorial service…Everything was going great until that Lee F. showed up with his vacumn cleaner; ( before he put the screen on the end of the hose)…I haven’t seen those little guys around since[%-)][%-)]
DON’T LET THE SMOKE OUT!!! There ain’t no electrons n such!! If’n you let the SMOKE out, den nuttin works no more![swg]
Shop Vac has a very small attachment to suck up excess dust I bought this works great it is sold at Wal Mart. I think for about $10. It is made for key boards and smaller applications. I use this on the roofs of buildings and in hard to get places.
laz57
I’ve used one of those very small computer keyboard vacs whenever I’ve been motivated to do some spot cleanup (usually after a mouse has gotten in the basement and left its calling card along the right-of-way).
Bob, that reminds me of some true humor. Mom is 91 and lives out in the country by herself. Went Christmas and there were “signs” of a mouse. “Mom, you have a mouse in the house.” “Yes, and he runs in the den, runs around and then runs back out.” “He doesn’t bother anyone and he is company.” [(-D] Eldery people? Traps were set.
Here’s how I add new electrons to my wiring to replace the stale electrons that I’ve discarded. Walk across your living room carpet while dragging your feet, and then touch your layout wiring. Just be very careful not to touch any metal door knobs first.