I’m unsure if this is the best place for this type of question, but I thought I’d at least start here.
I’ve been out of making scale models for quite some time, but recently have been wanting to get back in to it. All of my modeling stuff had been kept in boxes in my storage shed and garage for the last few years, and after pulling them out I made a very upsetting discovery. My boxes of tools and paints were fine, along with my unfinished models, but a box that contained a wide variety of assembled and painted models had been invaded by rodents. At some point they had found their way in to a small opening in the box and built a nest. It could have been a lot worse, but it’s definitely still a nasty situation.
What I’m wondering, is anyone familiar with a way to thoroughly clean/sanitize painted models? If they were unpainted I would probably just wash them with bleach water multiple times, but I’m worried this would fade the paint or wash it off completely. If this information is useful at all in deciding a course of action, the models are all Tamiya models that were painted with Tamiya acrylic paint. One large model was sprayed with a sealant topcoat (can’t remember exact kind), but the rest are just the acrylic paint.
I really appreciate the time and assistance from anyone that has any suggestions or input on this. I was really excited about getting back into building and painting models, but it was very disheartening to see every model I’ve ever completed potentially ruined. I’m hoping there’s a way to clean them up so they can be displayed again.
Viruses that typically live in rodent feces and urine generally only remain active for 2 to 3 days, but sun exposure usually kills them off in a few hours. You could probably wash them (not in your kitchen sink of course [;)] ) with just warm soap and water, and then put them in direct sunlight (has to be outside, very little UV gets through windows) to dry for a few hours. Depending on where you live, hopefully having them start to melt from the sun’s infrared shouldn’t be too much of a problem this time of year. I don’t think you’ll have to get much crazier than that to sanitize things.
I think I’d try to remove any stains with a soft cloth and water then let them air dry. Try not to lick them for a few weeks and you’ll be fine. As others have said, the pathogens that may have been present aren’t going to remain viable and infectious on plastic.
Thanks, everyone! I sincerely appreciate the advice and information! The shared information about the longevity of viruses is especially helpful in allowing me to figure out a good approach to my issue.
Only one model has decals, and it’s also the one that has a topcoat/sealant. Most of the others are 1/35 scale figures.
I might try dunking a few of those in a soap/water mixture as suggested as “test subjects” and see how they do.
The one I think I would want to be the most delicate about approaching is a 1/35 Tiger tank. It has a few decals on it, and it’s the one that received the topcoat. Per the suggestions here I might try a gentle wipe-down with water followed by sun exposure to dry out. I don’t know if I’d want to try complete submersion with that one as there’s probably a decent amount of nooks and crannies where water could end up just sitting and drying it out might prove problematic then.
When my models get dusty, I just hold them under the shower and give them a good rinsing. No soap needed. Then I just let them sit and air dry for a day or two. I have never had a problem with paint or decals or anything else with this method. Do not scrub them, however!