Cleaning toys
Summary: The discussion revolves around cleaning toys, with fabrics24 offering specific advice on sanitizing different types of toys such as McDonald's toys, dolls, Transformers, Tonka, and Gen 1 My Little Ponies. They emphasize the importance of drying toys with metal components thoroughly to prevent rust and suggest using white toothpaste to remove existing rust. mr_lincoln inquires about the types of toys involved in the discussion.
Almost all the toys I list are 40 to 50 years old. I have a huge collection. How much cleaning do they require to sell?
8 comments
fabrics24
·1 month ago · EditedIt really depends on the kind of toy!
I'd definitely sanitize the Mcdonald's toys; who knows what they've touched.
Other than that, people have been giving you good advice; dolls tend to be cleaned and retouched by their new owners anyway, so as long as they're not sticky or nasty, they should be okay.
If you have stuff like G1 Transformers, Tonka, or even G1 My Little Ponies, you can wash them, but I'd be very careful to be sure you dry their diecast parts really well, or in the case of an MLP, make sure no water gets inside of them. These toys all have metal in them, and so they can rust if they're not completely free of water.
If they already have rust on them, a little white toothpaste and a cloth (or a dedicated toothbrush) can fix that up.
mr_lincoln
·1 month ago@kenojudy
What kind of toys?????
toysaver
·2 months agoMy standard is to clean everything I bring into my home. Antibacterial wipes are a good easy choice. Drying is an important part of the process and needs to be done quickly to prevent damage.
mudshark61369
·3 months ago@kenojudy ,
There's not really any one size fits all to cleaning vintage toys
You sell a lot of Happy Meal type toys and those I would gently clean with a soft kids toothbrush if there's sign of dirt on them. The Diecast and Hot wheels type toys I'd use a soft damp cloth to clean with but be careful not to rub hard over any decals.
For Tonka and other larger pressed steel toys, play wear paint loss is common as is rust, some collectors will buy those for restoration. But on others where the paint has a patina I clean those with a soft cloth warm water with a few drops of Dawn in it. If they have decals that are chipped only pat them with a damp towel. Do Not rub them. Dirt in the tires can be first wet then cleaned out with a tooth brush.
ryry-jj
·3 months agoNo buyer wants your dirt, dust, smoke, or grime so remove all that, and leave everything else
kathiec
·3 months agoI know with vintage dolls collectors generally prefer to do their own cleaning. So I agree that a gentle wipe down would be good for particularly dirty items, leave the deep cleaning for the new owner.
krazzykats
·3 months agoJust enough so it doesn’t spread to me or make me sneeze when I open the package.
A good, thorough dusting usually does the trick.
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roccotacodad54
·3 months ago"How much cleaning do they require to sell? "
That depends on how dirty they are and what kind of dirt it is. Also depends on what the toys are made of.
On vintage toys or any other vintage item I think less is better usually. What you don't want to do is remove any paint etc. by overzealous cleaning.
I'd start with a soft brush and see how that goes. Afer that maybe a soft cloth dampened (not dripping wet) with plain water and see how that goes.
I don't buy vintage toys but do buy other vintage items. I've passed on buying many because a well meaning seller "shined 'em up" or "restored" them.
I'd stay away from any cleaning solutions if at all possible. Some of them might remove more than is intended......................