First of all, I'm happy to hear that you and your family are ok, and that the fire wasn't worse. I actually did clean a Star Wars Lego set one time that I was selling on ebay. It was a pretty big set at around 1200pcs. I used a metal pasta strainer, closed the bathtub drain, filled the bathtub with some soapy water, and just stirred them in the strainer with my hand. I think it took about 3 or 4 strainer fills for 1200pcs. I let them air dry, and the pcs came out like new. Good luck.
So sorry to hear of the fire but so glad that everyone is okay. I think you're on the right track with how to wash the majority of the elements (pieces). I'd look in to what is used in the extinguisher to make sure it doesn't react with either the plastic itself or what you may try to clean the LEGO with. LEGO these days seems to be pretty robust - with the exception of "reddish brown" from about 12+ years ago - I'd say that UV and heat/cold exposure is going to be a bigger concern than some mild detergent. I'd pull out the stickered pieces and maybe even the printed tiles and clean them with a cloth and some of the same solution. Check with some of the "Bricks and Minifigs" stores - they have "bulk tables" I'm sure they clean hundreds of pounds a year.
Thank you Scotty. Yes, the Bricks and Minifigs guys were great--took me in back to show me their cleaning set up which is where I got the ideas. I'll probably get started on this project soon. Cheers!
I have used both the dishwasher and the washing machine to clean legos. Use the mesh bag to hold the parts. Smaller sets I’ve washed by hand with dish soap.
I would think you could put them in TWO laundry bags (some times one rips open ) .Then take them out and let them air dry . You know your dryer would melt your lego and you would be stuck with one big weird lego blob . Hope this helps .take care
Wow, Thom! Glad to hear that you saved your house! Well done being prepared. I don’t know anything about cleaning up Lego caked with fire extinguisher dust. I hope somebody does have an answer.
I'm glad you're all right, Thom. When I was a lad, our house burned down to the ground, and we lost everything but our lives and the pyjamas we were wearing. I don't recommend that, so definitely take care to be safe around burny things!
I purchased a Lego lot from Facebook market place and unfortunately, the Lego reeked of cigarettes smoke. I used dawn dish soap and it worked very well. The method I used was that I placed the Lego in the bathtub, put the dish soap in, then just washed the pieces really good and let them soak over night. There was virtually no smell the next day. I even had several pieces with stickers on them and none of the stickers came off or appeared to be messed up. So dawn dish soap definitely worked for me! Glad to hear you, your family, and house is okay. Enjoy the videos and look forward to each of your uploads!
Glad you are safe. As others have mentioned the dawn soap and soaking would work as well as securing bagging them and using the washing machine on a low setting. I personally would separate out stickered part and clarn them gently by hand. Also if any stickers are damamged and you reacch out to Lego support with your story they will likely send you a replacement sheet. Lego cistomer support is the best. Same if you ever get a set missing a piece or with damaged parts. They replaced and entire bag for me once when i bought a set someone had stolen out of. Beat customer support ive ever experienced.
Glad you and yours are ok. I have several boxes of Lego that got smoke damage from a storage unit fire adjacent to my unit. I am faced with cleaning them up also. Hope yours clean up well.
I have cleaned used Lego as well as personal old dusty sets, and I did everything you said you wanted to do. Just make sure you pull out any parts that have stickers on them, you don’t want to dunk those in water. You can just take a Clorox wipe and gently wipe them down so you don’t mess up any stickers
Very sad to hear about the fire but glad that it got under control. I have heard people clean Lego with dish soap as you described (not fire related) but I think it should still work. Mostly it is time consuming
I have heard that some people will put there lego in mesh fine linen laundry bags and put them in the dishwasher or washing machine. There maybe be some RUclips videos about this. Laying them flat to dry is the best way. So glad you are safe from the fire.
As a SFOL myself and having had a fire that was worse than yours. I've had to buy a lot of used Lego . The dawn and mesh bag worked best .I made a frame and covered it with screen as a drying rack. Hope this helps.
Back in the day mothers did drop all the lego in a pillowcover and tied it down and threw it in the washing machine on (low temperature). I personally would put on some music, grab a tub, water on room temperature some soap, a new toothbrush. And have a sunday afternoon to clean every piece. (do not use the sun to dry it because it could cause UV damage). You might even get some inspiration if every part does pass your hands.
Found some info for you for when you go to your bricks and minifig store .The best fantasy Lego castle minifigures full guide .Jedi Bricks just put this up 3 days ago . Really neat figs listed .Hope this helps you .
Sorry for your misfortune, but relieved that you and your home escaped any serious results. Sounds like you have thought through most of the steps necessary to abate any serious damage to your collection, especially the sets you are saving for your granddaughter. I would put those sets in their original boxes, with instruction booklets and any other materials and store them in a warm (not hot), dry space , preferably with adequate ventilation. Should you ever decide to sell any of these sets, these precautions will guarantee the greats return on your investment. I only say all of this because….I have a granddaughter and being a teenager now….she has absolutely no (zero) interest in Lego
First of all, I'm happy to hear that you and your family are ok, and that the fire wasn't worse. I actually did clean a Star Wars Lego set one time that I was selling on ebay. It was a pretty big set at around 1200pcs. I used a metal pasta strainer, closed the bathtub drain, filled the bathtub with some soapy water, and just stirred them in the strainer with my hand. I think it took about 3 or 4 strainer fills for 1200pcs. I let them air dry, and the pcs came out like new. Good luck.
Thanks for those tips--I truly appreciate it.
So sorry to hear of the fire but so glad that everyone is okay. I think you're on the right track with how to wash the majority of the elements (pieces). I'd look in to what is used in the extinguisher to make sure it doesn't react with either the plastic itself or what you may try to clean the LEGO with. LEGO these days seems to be pretty robust - with the exception of "reddish brown" from about 12+ years ago - I'd say that UV and heat/cold exposure is going to be a bigger concern than some mild detergent. I'd pull out the stickered pieces and maybe even the printed tiles and clean them with a cloth and some of the same solution. Check with some of the "Bricks and Minifigs" stores - they have "bulk tables" I'm sure they clean hundreds of pounds a year.
Thank you Scotty. Yes, the Bricks and Minifigs guys were great--took me in back to show me their cleaning set up which is where I got the ideas. I'll probably get started on this project soon. Cheers!
I have used both the dishwasher and the washing machine to clean legos. Use the mesh bag to hold the parts. Smaller sets I’ve washed by hand with dish soap.
Very much appreciate you taking the time to post some advice. Cheers!
I would think you could put them in TWO laundry bags (some times one rips open ) .Then take them out and let them air dry . You know your dryer would melt your lego and you would be stuck with one big weird lego blob . Hope this helps .take care
Yes, I want to avoid high heat. Thanks for the idea on the double bag!
Wow, Thom! Glad to hear that you saved your house! Well done being prepared. I don’t know anything about cleaning up Lego caked with fire extinguisher dust. I hope somebody does have an answer.
Thank you so much for the good wishes. I do feel very lucky. Cheers!
I'm glad you're all right, Thom. When I was a lad, our house burned down to the ground, and we lost everything but our lives and the pyjamas we were wearing. I don't recommend that, so definitely take care to be safe around burny things!
I'm really looking out for bunny things now! Cheers!
I purchased a Lego lot from Facebook market place and unfortunately, the Lego reeked of cigarettes smoke. I used dawn dish soap and it worked very well. The method I used was that I placed the Lego in the bathtub, put the dish soap in, then just washed the pieces really good and let them soak over night. There was virtually no smell the next day. I even had several pieces with stickers on them and none of the stickers came off or appeared to be messed up. So dawn dish soap definitely worked for me! Glad to hear you, your family, and house is okay. Enjoy the videos and look forward to each of your uploads!
Glad to hear Dawn worked so well for you. I'm optimistic! Cheers!
So glad you're safe and managed to save your house.
Good tips--thank you!
Glad you are safe. As others have mentioned the dawn soap and soaking would work as well as securing bagging them and using the washing machine on a low setting. I personally would separate out stickered part and clarn them gently by hand. Also if any stickers are damamged and you reacch out to Lego support with your story they will likely send you a replacement sheet. Lego cistomer support is the best. Same if you ever get a set missing a piece or with damaged parts. They replaced and entire bag for me once when i bought a set someone had stolen out of. Beat customer support ive ever experienced.
Thanks for the tips! I appreciate the help.
Glad yall and the house are okay. Good luck with the cleanup
Thanks you so much!
Glad you and yours are ok.
I have several boxes of Lego that got smoke damage from a storage unit fire adjacent to my unit. I am faced with cleaning them up also. Hope yours clean up well.
And yours as well--cheers!
I have cleaned used Lego as well as personal old dusty sets, and I did everything you said you wanted to do. Just make sure you pull out any parts that have stickers on them, you don’t want to dunk those in water. You can just take a Clorox wipe and gently wipe them down so you don’t mess up any stickers
Thanks for those ideas. I will certainly not dunk a part with a sticker! Good reminder!
Very sad to hear about the fire but glad that it got under control. I have heard people clean Lego with dish soap as you described (not fire related) but I think it should still work. Mostly it is time consuming
The nice part about having it bagged by set is that if I want, I can do a set at a time, so it's not too tedious. Thanks for the well wishes! Cheers!
I have heard that some people will put there lego in mesh fine linen laundry bags and put them in the dishwasher or washing machine. There maybe be some RUclips videos about this. Laying them flat to dry is the best way. So glad you are safe from the fire.
Thanks for the ideas, I appreciate you sharing!
As a SFOL myself and having had a fire that was worse than yours. I've had to buy a lot of used Lego . The dawn and mesh bag worked best .I made a frame and covered it with screen as a drying rack. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the idea, I appreciate that! Cheers!
Be careful not to add too many bricks to the mesh bag. The seams on them aren’t the strongest. 👍🏾
Ahh. Great tip. Thank you!
This is a ture hero ❤
I'm just a lucky guy--but my it's not everyday your wife thinks you a hero, so I'll take that! Cheers!
Back in the day mothers did drop all the lego in a pillowcover and tied it down and threw it in the washing machine on (low temperature).
I personally would put on some music, grab a tub, water on room temperature some soap, a new toothbrush. And have a sunday afternoon to clean every piece. (do not use the sun to dry it because it could cause UV damage). You might even get some inspiration if every part does pass your hands.
Love the idea of the inspiration. I will certainly learn the parts up close. Thanks for your ideas! Cheers!
Toothbrushes can scratch lego.
Found some info for you for when you go to your bricks and minifig store .The best fantasy Lego castle minifigures full guide .Jedi Bricks just put this up 3 days ago . Really neat figs listed .Hope this helps you .
I'll check it out! Love Jedi Bricks. Cheers!
you can put them in the washingmachine.
Me again .Did your subs take a jump ?I thought it was in the 500's .
Yes, it's crazy. I'm grateful for folk's support. Cheers!
Sorry for your misfortune, but relieved that you and your home escaped any serious results. Sounds like you have thought through most of the steps necessary to abate any serious damage to your collection, especially the sets you are saving for your granddaughter. I would put those sets in their original boxes, with instruction booklets and any other materials and store them in a warm (not hot), dry space , preferably with adequate ventilation. Should you ever decide to sell any of these sets, these precautions will guarantee the greats return on your investment. I only say all of this because….I have a granddaughter and being a teenager now….she has absolutely no (zero) interest in Lego
Yes, I'm trying to be very careful with the things left to granddaughter. Fortunately I have all the boxes, undamaged! Thanks so much.