Fixing broken figures- Part 1, cleaning

Everyone's been there- whether it's their beloved childhood figures, someone else's from eBay, or just general wear and tear, dirty figures are a problem.
I've recently gone mad and decided to buy 47 critters, at least 90% of whom are naked, and all are used and loved. Here's a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of buying second hand.
Advantages: 

• The price! Obviously, you have to be savvy and pick out a good deal, but this is a great way to save money and get some new residents. A little maths (my spreadsheet) tells me exactly 36.4% of my critters are second hand. Most of these are eBay- I think about 10 are from trades with friends or charity shops. 
• Finding figures you'd never get new! This is how I got all of my Epoch figures, and quite a few Flair ones.
• History! I love TOMY and early Flair as they're older than me! I was born in 1998, so having figures up to 12 years older than me is really cool. I love wondering where they've been before, and feel so lucky to have them.
• Finding figures you'd never get otherwise, and completing families- finding a parent or partner for a figure I've had for ten years is a wonderful feeling. 

I found my Timbertops on eBay- the crawling baby had been orphaned for years. Here the family is reunited again! 

L-R: Tansy, Tate, Teddy, Thomas, Tessie, Theresa, Thomasina and baby Tommy in the centre.

Disadvantages:

• Occasionally, having to buy a bundle that's got lots of figures you don't really want in just to get a couple you have to have!
• Shipping costs.
• Always the risk that they'll get lost or damaged in the post.
• Figures coming damaged.

Lately, I've had this, and I'm pleased to report that most of my figures are now clean and settling in. These are the tricks I've used to get them clean again.

1. Handwash clothes- never ever put them in the machine. Use a hand-wash solution marked for delicates, or a very mild handsoap. Air dry, and then check for any loose decorations or threads before putting them on a clean figure.
2. For dry cleaning, get TWO soft toothbrushes, and clearly mark one for DARK flocking and one for LIGHT flocking. There's no point spending ages carefully cleaning Mason Marlowe and then trying to clean a silk cat with a brush covered in dark flocking. 
3. Sellotape- use this before the brushes to gently pull off larger bits of dust and threads.
4. Compressed air- I use my air pump to spruce up fluffy tails.
5. If you have to wash figures, keep them in water for the minimum time possible. Use baby shampoo if absolutely necessary, and use a finger to rub it in in small circles. I had to do this on my Hawthorn sister- luckily, she turned out well. I towelled her well by patting her flocking, never rubbing, and let her dry in the sun.

I'm planning to continue this series of Fixing Broken Figures- and my friend, Anthony, is bringing his childhood figures for me to look at! I'm going to be focusing on the following topics:

• Identifying figures
• Fixing tails, whiskers and other details.
• Clothes.
• Limbs and heads.
• Colour and flocking experiments.

Let me know if there are any other areas you'd like me to see!

Always remember to try these carefully- I take no responsibility for any damage to figures!

Thanks!

Fox xx