Bricks in Motion
We are a friendly filmmaking community devoted to the art of stop-motion animation using LEGO® and similar construction toys. Here, you can share your work, join our community of other brickfilmers, and participate in periodic animation contests!
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Hey guys!
Whats the best way to clean base plates? Gas Duster doesnt do the job...
I soaked some in soapy water for 20-30 minutes and then cleaned them with a tooth brush and rinsed them off. Make sure to dry them by hand instead of air drying so that streaks won't dry on it. It worked really well. I got it from somewhere on the internet, but can't find the original source.
I have an electric toothbrush (unused for it's original purpose) which I use to clean the deep set dust on plates. When the plates are run under water as I brush it, it works very well and very fast.
Don'
t use bleach, unless they're white pieces. I've actually used a bleach solution with no side effects, but the rep at TLG advised against it.
Wow thanks fellow members!
I'll have to try it tomorrow. I'll post results soon after though...
Went to one of those middle of nowhere auction houses and won a very large cardboard box full of Lego bricks for $10.
Little did I know that the box was completely soaked in cat pee.
Tried everything to clean the bricks....absolutely nothing worked.
As a last resort, tried bleach. Bleach on cat pee bricks made the most awful smell known to mankind.
Threw the whole box away.
NEVER, ever, ever use bleach on Lego bricks.
I experimented on a regular Lego brick after the cat pee brick incident.
Something about the plastic w/ bleach combo creates a chemical reaction and makes an odd smell that doesn't go away.
Best remedy for general cleaning of bricks....hot water & dish soap.
Dawn or Seventh Generation works best for getting the grime off.
Personally, I don't recommend it, but I had a neighbor who put Lego bricks in the washing machine.
She said it was the easiest and best way in her opinion. (Dunno how she deals with lost bricks though.)
Stale garage or attic smell, try baking soda and ziploc bags.
Sometimes dryer sheets work for stale smells as well.
dew-I had some duplo bricks given to me that had aged in a garage and had also been used as a bathroom for some time. I read about the washing machine hint somewhere and tried it out. The trick was to put the pieces in a pillow case and tie it at the top. The only drawback from doing this is it ages the pieces very quickly-they get a lot of scratches from tumbling about for a half hour.
The pieces were very clean at the end but I had about 20 pieces that assembled during the cycle. Those pieces had to be washed a second time in the sink. I let everything dry outside in the sun on a tarp.
I'm thinking you might have made some headway soaking the bricks in a very warm soapy water for a couple days-changing the water frequently to get rid of the smell. Then throwing the bricks in small batches into the washing machine. Whether this would have been cost effective or helped at all I have no clue. But for the future...
Were you able to salvage anything? Hopefully a minifig worth ten bucks or a rare piece?
For regular bricks with crusty stains I've used the soak method followed by a soft bristled toothbrush.
Jared
I appreciate the thought, legogod.
Luckily, this was a box of just Lego bricks. No minifigs.
Only things that were valuable were printed bricks/flags from various sets.
These were older bricks from the 70s - 80s.
I tried hot, soapy water (dawn dish soap) in the bathtub for days.
Ended up making the tub stink. Had to bleach it.
Tried the hot cycle of the washing machine with strong stain fighter laundry soap.
Tide and mesh laundry bags. Lots of pieces ended up in the bottom of the washer.
Tried washing with borax. Tried simple green. Tried drowning the bricks in baking soda.
Absolutely nothing worked. Even airing them out on the back porch for a long period of time did nothing.
I think I spent more money in cleaning supplies than the box was worth at the time.
These bricks were totally saturated in cat urine smell.
This box must've come from the home of a little old lady with a house full of cats.
Or, this was a very terrible joke.
I just use hot water and dish soap for baseplates and bricks.
Things like minifigures I just used warm water on a cloth.
Anyone know how to get sticky chocolate candy stuff out of a bush? My baby brother somehow shoved it in there and I can't get it clean.
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