How do you clean your figures?
 

So I've been doing a little spring cleaning/rearranging and opened up a few cabinets and totes. A few figures have black marks and stresses on them (like the plastic started to degrade inward). I lightly brushed a few to take the dust off but the marks are still there. I take it they just touched each other, especially when we moved and how they are stored. What can I use to take them off?
Oh, these are mostly Japanese items and Gashapons I dare not paint over.

Also, some older action figures have started to have a white film/substance on top of them - is that normal? These ones are Western/Chinese made.

I know Megos get a waxy look to the rubber heads if they are not properly stored I've heard this referred to as "Mego rot". the other thing I've seen is figures I played outside with as a kid have sun damage where the plastic has started to photo degrade over time exposed to the sun... this is unfortunately irreversible and leaves them bleached out, I still have a secret wars Spiderman that has a nasty tan line where he was buried in the sand for several months, the difference is very noticeable. if they were stored somewhere damp the white film might just be a light layer of house mold, it grows in dust and appears to be a slightly sticky thin chalky layer, it's harmless and can be taken care of with warm soap water and a soft sponge.

acetone/ nail polish remover on a Q tip will get paint off nicely, BUT BE CAREFUL! it will remove all of the paint and if you leave it on too long it will melt the plastic, I'd only use this if you have a paint transfer on the base plastic color, otherwise you risk stripping it down to the plastic.

I have a small bottle of Piano Polish, which is designed for cleaning the polyester finish on woodgrain pianos, and find it works well for rubbing small marks on plastic polymers. My Black Series Stormtrooper had a bunch of black paint smeared on top of the helmet and down the front of his chest and the sides of his arms, and I was able to remove it by rubbing gently with a rag dampened with the spray.

This is just my experience. Results vary. Dish soap might be too strong, but if you have some liquid Car Wash product of the sort that companies like Turtle Wax package in a large jug, which contains a very mild detergent, you might try some of that and then rinse thoroughly.

Anybody else?

I don't have any fixes to already dirty-fied toys, but I keep up on mine by using a can of compressed air to spray them down every other week. Just like computer duster canned air type stuff.

About a year ago I started storing my figures in poly zip bags. They're archival quality so they won't damage the figure the way a regular zip lock will over time. They bags eliminate paint rub and are a good way to keep the accessories with the figure.

As for the white film, like klyactus said, it may just be mold from being stored. However in the early days of DCUC there were some figures that would get a white "dust"/film on them. The two opinions that I heard the most were that the plastic was bad while others said they weren't sealed/painted properly.

so regular ziplocks are no good? I just started ziplocking my figures in storage, and other than not using ziplocks, I think it works for now.

as for cleaning, I use a rag and dust it if its dusty, and if possible, I use matte sealer spray on customs. living in el paso kills displaying, but I loved Germany. no dust there.

i've noticed my OLDER meaning like from the 90s, that were played with condition when i was kid, well that some sort of sticky film on them.... possibly from being boxed all these years and also some black looking smudges. any idea to clean?

armor all wipes maybe? or would that be harsh ?

I use swifer extended dusters. Generally I find the shelves get dustier then the figures well except my Lego monster fighters sets

considering mine are on a shelf and they get dusty i use the compressed air cans used for PC's you can get some cheap ones in the pound shop if UK or a dollar shop perhaps in US