Bad Advice For Washing LEGO
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
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02:42 so Mexico is tinted yellow and Canada is tinted blue. Good to know.
As another Canadian, this is fact
BrBa
And the USA is tinted in freedom and liberty. 🦅 🗽 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
the USA is tinted gray
Rare sighting of outside the slug residence
A super rare! Only in episode 3p4vE64n09w
I have a bad habit of letting my Lego models collect dust, this “bad” advice is really going to help prevent that! Thanks slugger!
The only sets I feel super wary about are ones that have any brittle brown pieces in them. I have 10210 Imperial Flagship which was assembled once in 2010 or 2011 and was never taken apart since then (The masts have been disassembled gingerly for transportation a couple times but as a while it's remained intact). I use dust cleaning gel in an instance like that, where I take a wad of gel and I tap it against sides that are dusty to pick up the dust.
For hard to reach corners I just push the wad in as far as possible, and for really hard to reach areas I cut the end off a toothpick or cotton swab and have a blunt end of a stiff but soft rod and I push the gel into those places. It worked well with Imperial Flagship given that the whole thing is designed to be taken apart in modular sections, which make cleaning interiors easier.
@@cheeze-utz If you have sets with dust on them but don’t want to disassemble and wash and reassemble what I like to do is use a paint brush and dust off the sets, it’s actually pretty fun and I find it satisfying and soothing, going from dusty set to nearly brand new, just don’t breathe in the dust!
Dust can be really bad on the old stickers any stickers before 2014 they would crack easily and I find that the dust makes them shrink and crack so why took cheap transparent shower curtains, and Velcro them on all my shelves and it worked pretty well
I just put my sets in the dishwasher. It saves so much time.
@@GrantGraff That’s actually not a bad idea but it could be risky
I love the juxtaposition of Lego and the plot of DS9.
Especially since it's such a serious scene from such a serious episode
"Don't you know who I am? I'm your nemesis, I'm your nightmare, I'm the butcher of Galidor"
"Bionicle died six years ago, you're CCBS, his filing clerk"
@@seaharrierfrs1 This is the best thing I've read so far this week
this is 1000% a parasocial relationship moment, but I bet it'd be super fun to rewatch some Star Trek with Slugger :D
@@seaharrierfrs1 That is the perfect line.
Attempting to wash Legos as kids is what prompted a lesson for my sister and I on what hard water is and why it sucks.
He says this like he DOESN’T give good advice
I kept thinking of that Gul Darhe'el quote the entire time and then you actually included the clip LMFAO
As a fellow Star Trek fan, I very much enjoy the random clips. He's a plain, simple slugger playing doctor with those Lego at the wash station but he knows how to entertain 😄🖖
also, be extra gentle with chromed pieces, since you don't want the coating to get damaged by them rubbing against other bricks
Oh yeah - I definitely wouldn't wash chromed pieces!
I wash them individually with soap and water and carefully clean them with my fingers, definitely don’t use cloth or toothbrush or put them with anything else that might damage them
As someone who collects a lot of used loose pieces, I can confirm that a quick wash can make a huge difference. Also, I see those Mega Core Magnetizer pieces, slugger! I’d be interested to see you complete Trikbrix’s retrospective.
And he’s got 3 of the red 8x8 grille plates!! 😮
An R.R. Slugger M:Tron retrospective would be amazing, still working on getting that MGM for myself :)
Hooray for kitty cameo!!!
He shows you his Bionicles
"Piece of kit" lol, Slug, that's just the exact appropriate phrasing, but it's somehow comic genius. Thank you for the salad spinner tip, it's actually incredible.
this is very nicely timed, i have some old dirty Lego that needs washing
At this point im expexting for a lovecraftian intro at the end of SoS 2025
This is some helpful advice! If I may add some of my own,a toddler toothbrush has very soft bristles on it,we use them for animals at my Vet clinic. They'll help keep your lego safe while washing!
Smart idea!
Not an episode I was expecting but appreciated! My basement flooded twice in the last 6 years, and while only a small portion of my legos got hit, they got hit bad, and were covered in a thin layer of dirt. Me and my girlfriend got finally got around to cleaning off some of the ones that were loose in 2 bins a while ago in the tub, but there's still a box of more put together models in the basement that haven't been touched.
Soooo I've used my washing machine once (with the pieces placed in laundry bags oc) and... it worked out pretty well. Just don't overload the machine and keep the temperature and speed to a minimum. And don't do it if you don't know what you're doing.
That’s a great bulk method, personally I’m too nervous about adding a bunch more scratches to even try it lmao
Drying with a salad spinner is clever
One of my earliest memories of lego is sticking bunch of plasteline in antistuds of 6526 fire truck. My genious dad dropped them into a pot to melt away plasteline... Not much remained.
Like two times minifigure has fallen inside washing mashine. Few months later head, single leg or torso would appear way thinner on the filter. Time traveling profesor ended that way. Fitting for him.
What a way to go. RIP Dr. Cyber. 😆
At 3:18, that is an even more difficult example being how the 4x8 23-degree "wedge wing plates" in sand blue only appeared in one other set after their origin appearance in the "Red Planet Protector" (7313) from "Life on Mars". Which was in mid-2004 as part of the "Deep Sea Predators" set (4506) from the "Designer" (later merged with "Creator") theme. Owing as a testament to the relative rarity of this color during the first half of the 2000s decade, being that-apart from "Life on Mars", it only appeared in the constraction-scale dinosaurs and one Bionicle set (1393)from 2001, .two Studios sets (1381 and 1382) and a Star Wars set (7103) from '02, the first Star Wars AT-TE (4482), a mini set (4484) and a small Harry Potter set (4720) in 2003, and several Alpha Team sets from 2004-alongside the aforementioned Designer sets (4506 and 4508) during that time.
Okay what’s the TLDR?
@DoublePack337 You're new to Colin's comments, eh? 😉
@@RRSlugger yes indeed slugger I am….. I’m scared my brain can’t handle all this information I only can comprehend the history of the Lego forklift! Which fun fact: a forklift was the first techic set ever made
@@RRSlugger Even then, I think I've wrote entries that were much longer than that.
Was not expecting that DS9 clip, but it fit perfectly! And I have to admit, there are few things more satisfying than seeing a previously dusty set restored to pristine condition.
But remember, dust always comes back...
That "moreover" was so elegant
2:31 rare cat piece. Next to some awesome Copper masks!
I am pleased to be reassured that I use 100% of the same tactics to clean my sets. It is so pleasing to have a dusty dirty set come to you and then wash it and everything is squeaky clean again like it was fresh from the box
Fantastic video, and I've suddenly become aware that the shots used in some of these videos may be providing hints for future videos!
On this topic, I'm wondering if you have any techniques for polishing parts? I have a lot of parts that have years of play and storage wear on them, and have been considering experimenting with some of my automotive plastic restore chemicals.
I've never thought about polishing a part before! Let me know what you come up with. 😊
I’m also interested to hear how those experiments go! I have a ton of scratched windscreens from 90s Space and Aquazone and stuff and would love to clean them up. I do know for sure that Brasso doesn’t work though, that’s one I’ve seen recommended on old forums and all it does is add way more microscratches and sometimes dulls transparent pieces. Only good for opaque parts
"Oh, no, no, Major… you can't dismiss me that easily. I did what had to be done. My men understood that, and that's why they loved me. I would order them to go out and clean Lego scum, and they'd do it, they'd clean it all! They'd come back covered in soap, but they felt clean! Now why did they feel that way, Major? Because they were clean!"
Can't ignore that thumbnail, those Time Twisters use dirty tactics, but they stay nice and clean.
Those intro are peak content
Recently found Hamster Productions and watched a behind-the-scenes video in which he cleans his LEGO by *stuffing it in burlap sacks and throwing them in a front-loaded washing machine.*
A mere image has never induced physical pain before. They came out looking amazing but I can’t imagine any dark red or reddish brown bricks survived that process.
That's way too hardcore for me, haha. Soap + water does just fine - there's no need to get overly fancy with this!
I absolutely love the missed cue gag over and over. Thank you for the creative intros, R.R. Slugger!
The salad spinner is a very ingenius method! Ive heard people use washing machines and dryers but i feared how easily pieces would get lost in all those spins. This seems like a much safer method to spin without clashing.
Absolutely! Not to mention the damage to the parts! 😬
0:58 is the best thing ever shown on this platform hands down
I always like to use an acetone and Gatorade mix to clean my pieces. Any color will do. Just eyeball it for best results. Afterwards, I like to let them dry in the DIRECT sunlight. You know they are done once the white bricks are a nice golden yellow color.
Oh my, that IS "Bad Advice!" 😉
Getting one of these fine brushes used for applying powder is a game changer when it comes to cleaning dust in every bricks corner
Hello from the other side of the planet! It was nice to see I do exactly the same techniques - and have been for years... a couple of things I've tried that help: plastic flyscreen mesh in the salad spinner, to stop all the small parts slipping through the slots... and don't forget to check for bricks stuck inside bricks - particularly minifig hands and 1x1 tiles, which love getting wedged inside regular 2x bricks! Winter is nearly over here in southern Australia... looking forward to warm weather for that quick Lego wash/dry cycle! :)
if you have a hair dryer, put it on the lowest heat setting and blow them from a distance, seems to help. depends how hot ur hair dryer is though
For those worried about vinegar etching the plastic, you can use a bicarbonate of soda + water solution to neutralise the acid, then wash a third time in regular water to ensure no residue remains.
I’m tired as hell and I feel like I’m on an acid trip because of this video
Very informative, thanks Slugger! I'm glad to see you weigh in on this topic, this is the video I wish I had 3 months ago when I started washing bulk lots. Seen one way, all Lego content on TH-cam can be divided into two categories; content about a collection, or content about collecting. As an aspiring collector, I find the latter very helpful. Videos about purchasing, sorting, storing, and (yes) washing have all helped me improve my collection and my collecting experience. Looking forward to your next endeavor!
LET’S GOOOO I’ve been waiting for this one!!
The salad spinner is an awesome tip, my biggest holdup when washing lots of Lego is drying. It takes _days_ mostly because of antistuds or minifig/animal parts, and you need to occupy a bunch of open space!
Also, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Nomad Tool for dusting! I LOVE that thing, seriously!
Ah, good point! I should have mentioned that too!
For drying, I give each piece a "flick of the wrist" or snap to shake most of the water out, then place on a towel, usually studs down, then turn a fan on them. I sleep with a fan for white noise, so I often let them dry all night, but a few hours does the job.
@@WarpigA23 I've started a habit of going piece by piece and blowing out excess water from the antistuds after a day. Happens a lot with the tall 2x2 slopes and they're usually (hopefully) fully dry by the next. If I don't do that sometimes it can take 3-4 days before all the antistuds dry :/
I would use a fan, but I live in a desert and fans = air flow = dust on newly washed parts
THIS JUST IN: Local SLUG uses Sink-Stopper Upside-Down like a WEIRDO.
But I still want water to pass through it! If I flip it upside down, it creates a seal.
I found a great dusting brush on amazon, that serves me well
Perfect timing , I got my old ones out and they smell a little musty, time for a bath
Salad spinner is big 🧠🧠🧠 Thank you @RRSlugger , this is a god send! Now, if only you had a solution for the madman that superglued together all of the classic pirates sets I bought within a lot of 27 gallons of legos…
I used to do the same thing, until I realised getting a laundry net and dropping the lego in the washing machine along with my laundry achieves the same result with zero effort. The bricks come out perfectly clean and dry.
I usually wash minifigs and printed parts the way you said but for large bulk lots I started throwing the parts in a laundry bag and running it through the wash and it’s much easier/quicker when there’s a lot to clean. Only downside is every once in a while you’ll damage 1-2 parts but it’s pretty rare.
This comes in clutch as I'm sorting pieces from bricklink to take on my first MOC, the AT-TE by bousker.
Great thanks for this! I'm really happy to get more specifics on this topic
I usually just brush off dust and blow at the bricks for a thin layer of moisture. Works super well most of the time. Lots of work though.
These videos are really nice to watch, reminds me of when me and my brothers would play with LEGO together. Good times, good times.
Also, Star Trek: DS9 is a good show.
Thanks for this video! I've got a guy I'm always buying old parts from (in varying states of cleanliness) so it's great to have a guide on how to make those parts look more presentable for close-up photography. I like the salad spinner suggestion. I'll see if I can find a cheap second hand one. As well as printed/stickered parts, do you also separate parts by material (ABS, softer plastic, rubber, plastic sails, cloth etc.)?
Has anyone asked how you sort and store loose parts yet? I'm still figuring out the best way to sort my collection, but I imagine the ideal method of sorting varied depending on the size of your collection.
I’d like to know this too, I have some sails, spare sticker sheets, and TONS of capes that I need to sort, but I don’t know of a good system outside of sticking them in shipping envelopes 🙃
If you want some *real* bad advice, ask me about sorting LEGO. 😅
4:50. Meet the Cardassians.
I chuckled on the Canada bit. It´s the opposite of the Breaking Bad Yellow Mexico Filter - The Blue Canada Filter.
oh my god your cat is adorable
Because I live in Australia, the Summer of Slug is like the Winter of Slug for me!
Lol, I guess also a bad take is I used to do everything that he did on the washing process, but when it came to drying I would put the wet Lego on a towel and take all the ends until it’s like a sack and fling around the towel hitting the bottom of it making sure all the water is taken out of it, then I would stick a hairdryer in the top the sack where I’m holding up all the ends and blow hot air into well, shaking it around, it actually worked pretty well and the pieces would sometimes come out hot like new laundry
My cleaning methods have been the same as yours for years, primarily just soap and warm water with a toothbrush for scrubbing and a towel for drying surface. I also use a salad spinner with some parts to drive off water after rinsing if I don't want to wait as long for drying time.
...also, those Multi Core Magnetizer parts are an interesting preview of what is hopefully to come in the future! I'm still parting out my 3rd copy of this set from old secondhand collections.
We share a fair amount of interest in the same LEGO themes and time period, probably due in part to being about the same age, though I am pretty sure I'm a few years older than you and never had a dark age. I was collecting and custom building Rock Raiders (beyond my childhood collection) back in 2014-2015, well before prices spiked. The detail on my PC game builds was not quite as thorough, though they were based on the game manual renders. I still have some left unfinished.
I've gotten quite a few sets that come with a musty smell. Thanks for the advice!
Just don’t tell anyone that in that DS9 clip, Maritza is actually talking about Cardassians massacring Bajorans during their brutal 50 year occupation of their planet…
i just throw 'em into a pillowcase together with a towel. seal the bag with a cable tie and throw it into the washing machine for 30 mins at 30°C and 600 rpm. Only stuff like brittle brown and precious printings get the handwashing treatment :)
I hope you make a video similar to this one, on how to deal with discoloration
To be truthful, my version would be a very short video indeed.
"Discoloured LEGO? Throw it in the trash!" 💀
you have inspired me to clean my bricks, thanks Slugger!
Awesome! I find it really easy and rewarding to do!
At the end of the summer of slug, slugger here will be in a facility
Instant click, I need those tips!
2:26 Excellent form.
Your legos do look pristine.
speaking of scraping the barrel id love a dedicated video on Lego "research"
Hmm, interesting idea!
Also, don’t put minifigures with the regular washing process, put them aside to clean delicately. And don’t scrub hard with the toothbrush I found that scratches will appear on the pieces if the pieces direct it to the light where you can see the glare of the piece if you do it too much scrubbing with a toothbrush it will become dull from all the scratches
ive got a bin of filthy lego that ive been meaning to clean... thanks for the advice
It’s 1:30 in the morning and I only have a few models that just sit on a shelf… You win this time Slugger… you win this time
"Go? Like go where? What do you mean?"
This is genuinely good advice
excellent taste w the DS9 ref
I use the extra soft toothbrush to be more gentle on the lego. I also use a towel to absorb as much water in order to help prevent water spots that can form from the hard water.
DS9 Season 1 jumpscare! The vinegar method seems extreme but a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of my Lego Bricks, so I will learn to live with it. I can live with it...
Computer, erase that entire personal log.
this is so useful thank you slugger
You can also use a micro mesh clothes bag* then put them in your clothes washer on cold w/ non bleach soap then follow the drying tips/tricks slugger gave
*last time I checked Amazon there was a 5 pack for 6$ USD (that was around 6 - 7 years ago tho)
That sounds like more work than needed to me, but whatever works!
Gotta love that Belville bath
I'm not even a LEGO gal (... for now) but I love your enthusiasm and willingness to just get goofy with it. I hope I can contribute to the next Summer of Slug so you can teach us about preventing discoloration in LEGO.
Thanks so much!
@@RRSlugger thank you! you put out joyous stuff, and that rules. keep hitting 'em out the park, Slugger.
Love your cat
I can also make a recommendation: if you use a tool to help clean the bricks, make sure it’s either a soft bristle tooth brush or a soft painter’s brush. I’ve noticed stiffer brush bristles can scratch bricks, so just keep an eye out.
This is a good point, though I've personally ran into that issue. I've heard it repeated a lot though... I wonder if newer LEGO is more susceptible to scratches?
lovely cat jumpscare
This is exactly how I do it, though I never thought of using vinegar. One thing I'd say though is to be careful when scrubbing with a toothbrush. Stiff bristles or hard scrubbing can cause some significant scratches on your bricks.
Good tutorial, will use.
Very soft dish cloth > toothbrush. I used a toothbrush for a few sets until I realized it still scratches the bricks, no matter how gentle you are.
That's fair - I've never personally experienced any scratches, but maybe it affects modern LEGO worse? I only ever typically wash 90s stuff.
Love the DS9 reference
Nice! I'm not sure if I've ever washed my bricks ^^' though I do dust them with an otherwise unused paintbrush!
I’ve been lucky so far that soap and water has always managed to get rid of the “grandma’s basement” smell the first time around!
My headcanon was that R.R. Slugger was watching DS9 and got the video idea from that clip
“I live in Canada. That’s why the lighting is weird.” 😅😅 oh OF COURSE
Clean it all, it must be clean!
Just wanted to add that the water must no be hotter than 30°C, as it'd otherwise damage the bricks (loss of clutch power)
Oh, and also, avoid hard water, as it might leave some scale marks if just let to dry.
And while I'm still here, I've seen people just "give a shower" to their Icons sets 😂: those usually don't have stickers (eg modulars)
I think you're fine up to 40°C/104°F- that's what some of the old instruction manuals said.
I love washing my sticker pieces with warm water and soap
Darn that Canadian lighting.
I'm curious about the "the outside lighting is weird because I live in Canada." What does it meeeean?!
Hahaha, it's just a joke. 😆
I tried to fix it in post, but gave up and just decided to chalk it up to being in Canada, lol
I love your long form videos so much, but your bite sized videos are so fun lately!! I like them too!
2:25 cat spotted
I love this video. I’d love to hear your thoughts on sorting and storing parts
Hey slugger, would you consider showing us how you display your lego sets? I bet it would make a really fun video!
Love your work and cheers from Brazil :)
Hey there! Unfortunately, the reality is that I *don't* display my LEGO sets. They live in dust free bins until I need to take them out for photography. 😅
It's not very glamourous, but it works.
@@RRSlugger oh I see it! Hehe
Anyways, thanks for replying and keep up the good work, cause what you do is something really special :)
He keeps coming up with great ideas for videos I hope the summer of slug never ends
I just use white vinegar for all 2nd hand because they all tend to have a weird smell. Minus the stickered and chromed pieces though.
Never washed Lego in my life, 15 years of dust is gonna be hard to remove now. Better get started.