One morning you wake up and the reality of just how many collectibles you have hits you. You've probably been avoiding it, or maybe you had more important things to address first; but now you realize you need to clean and refresh your collection and have the time to do some spring cleaning! It may seem like a monumental chore, but we've broken it down into three phases to help you tackle the task.
Phase 1: Cleaning
First and foremost, take a picture of your collection's set up before you start taking things down. You'll be able to use the photo to put your displays back together the way you had them if everything becomes too jumbled during your cleaning session. If you want to try something new with your display, having a picture of the old arrangement will help you avoid accidental repeats and act as a great before photo for comparison after you've completed all your hard work.
If your collection just needs a quick dusting, we suggest a microfiber duster to pick up all the little particles without the risk of scratching your boxes or figures. Depending on your display, it may be helpful to only clean one section at a time. Otherwise taking all your figures down at once may be a great way to see the space you have to work with and imagine new ways to utilize the space at hand.
Sometimes you're sticker hunting and you score a great deal on a figure you've been looking for, but- “Oh no! Not those stickers too!” Don't worry. Rubbing alcohol is handy in removing greasy marks and sticker residue, though you should avoid using any liquid cleaners on the non-plastic surfaces of the boxes.
As for wiping down the figures themselves, using a piece of melamine foam (slightly dampened) does the trick. The foam is not so abrasive that it will leave scratches on your figures, but it will help lift away dirt and even some transferred paint marks. Warning: Using acetone to clean your figures can also take of their paint. If you're worried about what cleaners to use or how they'll effect your figures, start by cleaning a small area on the bottom (like the underside of a foot or tail) as a test. Dusting or drying your figures with a microfiber cloth can help speed up the process as well.
Phase 2: Reorganizing
Perhaps your collection grew quickly, and organization went out the window. Have no fear! Now is a great time to make the change. When it comes to organizing and displaying your collection, we just want to give you some ideas in case you're feeling stuck. There is no right or wrong way to organize and display the collectibles you love, and Funko enjoys seeing all the dynamic and creative ways Funatics decide to arrange and set up their collections.
Of course you can consider the two most natural options: organize by series (meaning figures all in the same line with sequential box numbers), or a featured favorites bracket. Think about mixing things up this time around, you can always change your mind and rearrange. What about coordinating by box color or maybe have a "versus" stance by facing off two characters you want to see in pitched battle. You could create a rainbow design by placing all your chrome Pop! figures in a red to purple configuration. Flocked and metallic Pop! figures could have their own sections. We encourage you to experiment with how to group your collectibles and figures until you find the arrangement you're happiest with.
Phase 3: Displaying
There's no need to build or buy fancy stands and shelves for your figures, unless you can and want to. The idea is to spruce up your collection, not necessarily to go over complex display options. Although we may go over unique display ideas for Pop! presentation in a separate article, and Funko would love to see photos of your collections and displays.
Your display may already look drastically different if you decided to try out a new method of grouping your collectibles. Although if you want to keep your collectibles in the same groupings you had them in before, consider swapping where the sets are placed in the room or house. Mixing unboxed Pop! figures and Mystery Minis onto bookshelves can help break up the visual monotony of seeing only book spines. Another idea for bookshelves is to try alternating one shelf dedicated to collectibles then the next arranged to display other items such as books or art pieces.
Collectors, who are okay with taking figures out of their boxes, can try placing the boxes sideways (so that you can see the full figure art) and stand the Pop! in front of the box art. Don't forget that some figures have background inserts in their boxes, which could be taken out and used for out of box displays as well.
We hope this post has helped you find the best way to clean and organize your collections. Funko would love to see the results. Send Funko pictures of your collections by posting to social media! Be sure to tag @OriginalFunko on Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #FunkoFamilyAtHome.