Cleaning old cars...........

[jerryl]

  To be safe, use a dry flat watercolor brush. It won't remove everything, but the dust left in the crevices will add to the weathering effect. If you do wash the plastic models, remove the trucks & couplers & take this opportunity to lubricate them with graphite. Jerry

[dstarr]

What is the best cleaning solution to clean some old cars I had in an attic?  Is it possible to use some dish detergent and some water or could I just run the cars (as long as there's no metal) under some warm water with a toothbrush to clean them?  Thanks for the help.

Eddie

  Hot soapy water is OK on plastic and metal.  Long as you dry the metal well after washing it won't rust.  Use a mild-to-gentle soap/detergent.  The strong laundry detergents like Tide contain Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP) which can remove paint.  Anything your wife would use on her hands is fine.  Bathroom soap, the liquid stuff sold for hand washing of dishes, shampoo, etc.  

  For drying, strong sunlight, or a dishwasher set to "plate warm",  or clean dry rags or towels, anything that gets it dry.  Make sure the insides of the coupler pockets, inside of closed cars, underneath the weight, and other closed in places get good and dry.

Although few factory built cars use them, paper, wood, and decals won't take kindly to water.   Check before you dunk...

 

 

[loathar]

That's what I do as long as they're not weathered. I usually take the trucks and couplers off first. I dry mine with an air hose after. Be careful around any decals.

[cbq9911a]

If the cars are all plastic, dish detergent and warm water are OK.

If they're made of wood or of metal, or have paper labels, use a Q tip with some soap and water - and be very careful!

[Anonymous]

What is the best cleaning solution to clean some old cars I had in an attic?  Is it possible to use some dish detergent and some water or could I just run the cars (as long as there's no metal) under some warm water with a toothbrush to clean them?  Thanks for the help.

Eddie