75 replies to this topic

[misterdroid]

I just got a big lot of figures which the previous owner colored in most of the recessed eyes and mouths with ink pen. Nothing has been able to get it all out... most of it though. I am going to move up to using some RemoveZit on them and see how it goes. It is made specifically to pull stains out of plastic toys and dolls. I bought it to clean some ink stained GI Joe Adventure team heads and it worked well. I will let everyone know how it goes and try to document the process with photos.

[GRANDTHEFT]

I just got a big lot of figures which the previous owner colored in most of the recessed eyes and mouths with ink pen. Nothing has been able to get it all out... most of it though. I am going to move up to using some RemoveZit on them and see how it goes. It is made specifically to pull stains out of plastic toys and dolls. I bought it to clean some ink stained GI Joe Adventure team heads and it worked well. I will let everyone know how it goes and try to document the process with photos.

Any luck yet?

[DetectiveFork]

I just bought a big batch of flesh-colored M.U.S.C.L.E. figures on eBay that were in good shape, but when they arrived I opened the box and was immediately punched in the face with the smell of cigarettes. And many of the figures have random orange stains that I imagine are probably nicotine tar. I've tried dish soap and a scrub brush on one of the figures and it didn't seem to remove any of the stains. Any suggestions?

[ChristianG]

I just bought a big batch of flesh-colored M.U.S.C.L.E. figures on eBay that were in good shape, but when they arrived I opened the box and was immediately punched in the face with the smell of cigarettes. And many of the figures have random orange stains that I imagine are probably nicotine tar. I've tried dish soap and a scrub brush on one of the figures and it didn't seem to remove any of the stains. Any suggestions?

I just use some clothes washing powder in warm water, swish them around for a bit and then rinse. I have cleaned all muscle and monster in my pocket figures this way and they come up very clean.

good luck

[Nyarlathotep]

I just bought a big batch of flesh-colored M.U.S.C.L.E. figures on eBay that were in good shape, but when they arrived I opened the box and was immediately punched in the face with the smell of cigarettes. And many of the figures have random orange stains that I imagine are probably nicotine tar. I've tried dish soap and a scrub brush on one of the figures and it didn't seem to remove any of the stains. Any suggestions?

I wonder if that special smoker's mouthwash would do anything for that sort of stain. I've never heard of it tried though, so if anyone gives it a shot you should use a figure that you don't mind damaged, just in case.

I can't remember off the top of my head where I read it, but I think soaking in Nature's Miracle (from a pet store) is good for odors. I am familiar with the product, it is a mild enzymatic cleaner.

Edited by Nyarlathotep, 17 November 2009 - 11:53 AM.

[DetectiveFork]

Thanks for the advice. However, and I'm ashamed to admit this, I had forgotten laundry detergent existed in powdered form! I've been using liquid for years. I might have to try this.

I don't know if the mouthwash would work, since I think that's more about removing the smell than stains. Actually, the smell on the figures faded quite a bit just by leaving them out in the open, as my house is a cigarette-free zone. Maybe I need something a dentist would use to brighten up stained teeth, lol.

At least I don't feel like I got ripped off. It was almost 50 figures for $10 and, while they have a few stains, there's a lot of figures I never had and have wanted, like the M.U.S.C.L.E. that looks a bit like Wilson the Volleyball from Cast Away.

[dankingery]

maybe someone can make muscle whitening trays that you can put tooth whitening gel in and then let the muscles sit in them. that's a billion dollar idea right there.

[GRANDTHEFT]

I just bought a big batch of flesh-colored M.U.S.C.L.E. figures on eBay that were in good shape, but when they arrived I opened the box and was immediately punched in the face with the smell of cigarettes. And many of the figures have random orange stains that I imagine are probably nicotine tar. I've tried dish soap and a scrub brush on one of the figures and it didn't seem to remove any of the stains. Any suggestions?

Are the stains on the surface or on have they leaked into the plastic?

Maybe we could work on something to use and soak them for several days.

let me know Mate , we'll get them out.

[DetectiveFork]

Are the stains on the surface or on have they leaked into the plastic?

Maybe we could work on something to use and soak them for several days.

let me know Mate , we'll get them out.

I have no clue how deep the stains are. But any help you can offer would be most appreciated! Maybe it would help if I take a picture of a few of the figures so you can see what I'm talking about it. I'll do that over the weekend.

[GRANDTHEFT]

Are the stains on the surface or on have they leaked into the plastic?

Maybe we could work on something to use and soak them for several days.

let me know Mate , we'll get them out.

I have no clue how deep the stains are. But any help you can offer would be most appreciated! Maybe it would help if I take a picture of a few of the figures so you can see what I'm talking about it. I'll do that over the weekend.

That would be great and allot of help , as I've touched on in my explanations , if the stain looks like a Tattoo , that's because it is and cannot be removed , if it's on the surface , most likely it can be removed , but give us a look , we'll get them shiny and clean again i'm sure

[Muscle Things]

Are the stains on the surface or on have they leaked into the plastic?

Maybe we could work on something to use and soak them for several days.

let me know Mate , we'll get them out.

I have no clue how deep the stains are. But any help you can offer would be most appreciated! Maybe it would help if I take a picture of a few of the figures so you can see what I'm talking about it. I'll do that over the weekend.

That would be great and allot of help , as I've touched on in my explanations , if the stain looks like a Tattoo , that's because it is and cannot be removed , if it's on the surface , most likely it can be removed , but give us a look , we'll get them shiny and clean again i'm sure

I love hearing 'shiny and clean' in reference to M.U.S.C.L.E.s I just got my flesh claw sparklin' like a '57 chevy

[sherrie]

When Jon used to send home boxes of muscles for me to sort and clean, the best method I found was filling one side of the sink with warm water, dish soap (I used Dawn) and a little bleach. I would dump in enough muscles to fill the sink 1/2 way and stir them around with a wooden spoon (not putting my hands in water with bleach!). I would then let them sit for about an hour, swishing them around every so often. after a couple of hours max, I would fill the other side of the sink with cold water and move them over to the clear side. Then I would get a strainer and put a double handful of muscles in it, (drain the soapy side of sink), put strainer under running warm water, and check each muscle to make sure it was clean. Rinse and toss on large folded towel. If it wasn't clean, I would just take a plain toothbrush with a little liquid soap and scrub it until I got everything out of the nooks and cranny's and rinse well. then I laid them all out on a towel to dry for a couple of hours.
Paint I find will come off with just a nail scraping or for the tough ones I used non-acetate fingernail polish remover and a q-tip.
Ink stains I never could get out, but always wanted to try that stuff on the market for getting pen and crayon marks off of walls, and gummy stuff off of widows, etc. It is oil based so it won't sink into the plastic is just used to wipe clean. Never got around to buying it though.

the muscles always came out clean and not smelling of bleach after sitting on the towel for a couple of hours. I never had any complaints from buyers or Jon about them.

A single muscle would just be cleaned with a toothbrush and anti bacterial soap under running water, rinse and towel dry.

The Soap and bleach method worked great when I sorted through a batch and had an allergic reaction to it. It must have come from a home with cats. Just dumped the whole batch into the soapy bleach water, swished, let sit, rinsed and they were just like new.

Only use enough bleach to help though, not a lot. I used maybe 1/8 of a cup or less in a large sink of soapy water.

[toyfiend76]

When Jon used to send home boxes of muscles for me to sort and clean, the best method I found was filling one side of the sink with warm water, dish soap (I used Dawn) and a little bleach. I would dump in enough muscles to fill the sink 1/2 way and stir them around with a wooden spoon (not putting my hands in water with bleach!). I would then let them sit for about an hour, swishing them around every so often. after a couple of hours max, I would fill the other side of the sink with cold water and move them over to the clear side. Then I would get a strainer and put a double handful of muscles in it, (drain the soapy side of sink), put strainer under running warm water, and check each muscle to make sure it was clean. Rinse and toss on large folded towel. If it wasn't clean, I would just take a plain toothbrush with a little liquid soap and scrub it until I got everything out of the nooks and cranny's and rinse well. then I laid them all out on a towel to dry for a couple of hours.
Paint I find will come off with just a nail scraping or for the tough ones I used non-acetate fingernail polish remover and a q-tip.
Ink stains I never could get out, but always wanted to try that stuff on the market for getting pen and crayon marks off of walls, and gummy stuff off of widows, etc. It is oil based so it won't sink into the plastic is just used to wipe clean. Never got around to buying it though.

the muscles always came out clean and not smelling of bleach after sitting on the towel for a couple of hours. I never had any complaints from buyers or Jon about them.

A single muscle would just be cleaned with a toothbrush and anti bacterial soap under running water, rinse and towel dry.

The Soap and bleach method worked great when I sorted through a batch and had an allergic reaction to it. It must have come from a home with cats. Just dumped the whole batch into the soapy bleach water, swished, let sit, rinsed and they were just like new.

Only use enough bleach to help though, not a lot. I used maybe 1/8 of a cup or less in a large sink of soapy water.

Heres an idea I've been mulling over. I use to do this with my running shoes. throw them in washing machine add some Tide powder and bleach. the white soles of my shoes would come out super white. This my be a way you could use to wash large lots. dont forget to use a laundry bag with small holes

[SmokinGun]

When Jon used to send home boxes of muscles for me to sort and clean, the best method I found was filling one side of the sink with warm water, dish soap (I used Dawn) and a little bleach. I would dump in enough muscles to fill the sink 1/2 way and stir them around with a wooden spoon (not putting my hands in water with bleach!). I would then let them sit for about an hour, swishing them around every so often. after a couple of hours max, I would fill the other side of the sink with cold water and move them over to the clear side. Then I would get a strainer and put a double handful of muscles in it, (drain the soapy side of sink), put strainer under running warm water, and check each muscle to make sure it was clean. Rinse and toss on large folded towel. If it wasn't clean, I would just take a plain toothbrush with a little liquid soap and scrub it until I got everything out of the nooks and cranny's and rinse well. then I laid them all out on a towel to dry for a couple of hours.
Paint I find will come off with just a nail scraping or for the tough ones I used non-acetate fingernail polish remover and a q-tip.
Ink stains I never could get out, but always wanted to try that stuff on the market for getting pen and crayon marks off of walls, and gummy stuff off of widows, etc. It is oil based so it won't sink into the plastic is just used to wipe clean. Never got around to buying it though.

the muscles always came out clean and not smelling of bleach after sitting on the towel for a couple of hours. I never had any complaints from buyers or Jon about them.

A single muscle would just be cleaned with a toothbrush and anti bacterial soap under running water, rinse and towel dry.

The Soap and bleach method worked great when I sorted through a batch and had an allergic reaction to it. It must have come from a home with cats. Just dumped the whole batch into the soapy bleach water, swished, let sit, rinsed and they were just like new.

Only use enough bleach to help though, not a lot. I used maybe 1/8 of a cup or less in a large sink of soapy water.

Heres an idea I've been mulling over. I use to do this with my running shoes. throw them in washing machine add some Tide powder and bleach. the white soles of my shoes would come out super white. This my be a way you could use to wash large lots. dont forget to use a laundry bag with small holes

I got loads of dirty MUSCLE's and Ive been cleaning them with soap and hot water using a tooth brush. I havnt clean them in a while cuz it takes too damn long. Im skeptical in using bleach. Will it damage the material in any way or discoloration?

[realultimatebob]

I tried rubbing alcohol. I bought a set that had a large number of MUSCLE with ink on their feet. So I filled a bowl slightly with rubbing alcohol and let it sit for a minute or so and just rubbed off the ink with my finger tip. Worked out nicely for the feet. Careful not to rub with your a cloth as that seemed to have wore down the plastic.

[Muscle Things]

I tried rubbing alcohol. I bought a set that had a large number of MUSCLE with ink on their feet. So I filled a bowl slightly with rubbing alcohol and let it sit for a minute or so and just rubbed off the ink with my finger tip. Worked out nicely for the feet. Careful not to rub with your a cloth as that seemed to have wore down the plastic.

I tried rubbing alcohol too and it renewed my muscles to the orginal look feel and smell even.. I put mine in a glass half filled with water and alcohol for like 5 min then buf with a soft toothbrush .. diping toothbush back in cup now and again, rinsing often with water from the faucet. and just a totally noticeable diffterence in feel and appearance and shine.

[animerebel]

How about permanent marker?
EDIT: nevermind, find it.

Edited by animerebel, 05 February 2010 - 02:22 PM.

[GRANDTHEFT]

How about permanent marker?
EDIT: nevermind, find it.

Still, if you need any help just let us know , we'll be more than happy to help you out.

[Schwanke]

Unless I missed it have you guys tried Goo Gone?

I know it takes glue off of just about anything without damaging it. Wondering specifically if it would take off ink because there is a large lot of muscle up on ebay with ink stains on the feet and might be a way for me/one of us to get cheap muscle if no one wants em cuz of the stains but we can get them off.

[GRANDTHEFT]

Unless I missed it have you guys tried Goo Gone?

I know it takes glue off of just about anything without damaging it. Wondering specifically if it would take off ink because there is a large lot of muscle up on ebay with ink stains on the feet and might be a way for me/one of us to get cheap muscle if no one wants em cuz of the stains but we can get them off.

That's actually a cleaning product no one has ever thought of or even tried , be interesting to know what it does to ink , then i can add it to the list , nice one Schwanke

[Dabeavis]

I gonna try the toothbrush & soap method since only 10 of my Muscle figures need some cleaning

Edited by Dabeavis, 18 January 2011 - 03:11 PM.

[Ericnilla]

Unless I missed it have you guys tried Goo Gone?

I know it takes glue off of just about anything without damaging it. Wondering specifically if it would take off ink because there is a large lot of muscle up on ebay with ink stains on the feet and might be a way for me/one of us to get cheap muscle if no one wants em cuz of the stains but we can get them off.

a few here have talked about using GOO GONE and i have used it myself... I didnt like the results as the figures had a weird smell after, enough to were i sold the figures. haha

i just use dish soap and a stiff brush after soaking the figures in boiling water.

[NeonGreen]

a few here have talked about using GOO GONE and i have used it myself... I didnt like the results as the figures had a weird smell after, enough to were i sold the figures. haha

i just use dish soap and a stiff brush after soaking the figures in boiling water.

Yeah, it's best to avoid stuff like Goo Gone, I think, at least for MUSCLEs. It's an oil (or performs like one), and it can be very hard to remove from certain surfaces entirely. It works well for removing marker and the odd sticker from old video game cartridges (what I often use it for), but things like MUSCLEs tend to be more porous, making it difficult to remove after you're done cleaning. Furthermore, for as "safe" as Goo Gone is, it actually can eat away at some plastics, even to the point of altering the outer surface or resulting in discoloration. I've had this happen once or twice in the past. For important or cherished items, I'd try something more mild, or at least water-based.

[Strontium Dog]

I just stick them in a bucket of water with washing powder overnight. That stuff is formulated to remove all kinds of gunk from laundry, so it usually gets them pretty clean. Then I wash them with soap and water to get the residue off, and use a dish brush if necessary. Basically the same as the first post in this thread actually! So this is all somewhat superfluous. But anyway, this is what works for me.

[jmckinnon316]

Just to chip in my tuppence worth.......

I wash each MUSCLE that arrives through my letter box (when the box is small enough) individually by using the following method:

Fill Basin with warm/hot water and add some anti-bacterial washing up (dishes) liquid
Pour the MUSCLES in
Leave them for at least 24 hours
re-fill basin with warm/hot water with some more liquid - leave them for an hour..
Wash indivdually with quite firm toothbrush
Place them back in clean water with washing-up liquid again overnight
Rinse very well with cold water and lie them on a towel, fold the towel over and pat the muscles to dry them
if I have time, I leave them in the towel overnight.

I have washed 1000+ MUSCLEs in my time and this cleans them very well, the nice smell even comes back too!

Will not remove ink, but I reckon - as someone else pointed out earlier - that ink and MUSCLES = tattoo for life!!



J