Dusting a shelf of small things

The problem with a shelf of figurines is not the dust on top of them. It is that moving forty small objects to dust underneath them takes an hour, so nobody does it, so the shelf stays dusty.

Work left to right, never top to bottom

Dust falls. If you clean the top shelf first, you dust the bottom shelf twice. Pick a corner, work across one shelf at a time, and lift each piece straight up rather than sliding it, which is how bases get scratched.

The tools that actually help

• A soft makeup brush for the piece itself, which reaches into feathers and folds.
• A microfiber cloth for the shelf surface, used dry.
• A small can of compressed air for anything with an opening or a hollow.

Dust once a month with a brush, and you will never need to wash anything.

If you keep your figurines in a cabinet with a door, dusting drops to twice a year. That is the single biggest upgrade you can make to a collection.