With most hobbies it's easy to keep your prized possessions clean and safe – you simply place them into hermetically sealed containers and leave them there. But with model trains this can be a bit more difficult.

Ideally, preventing the settling of dust and dirt onto the surfaces of your scale models and trains is the preferred options and various air cleaners, careful consideration of placement and keeping pets and traffic in and out of the room to a minimum can help with this – but eventually you are going to have to do some cleaning.

So how DO you go about protecting and cleaning your investment without damaging the fragile eco-system that you worked so hard to create?

Like the Hippocratic Oath you should first resolve to ‘do no harm’ … this means harsh cleansers and brushes are right out when it comes to cleaning your miniatures and models. Soft cloths like a tack cloth or sponge, and small amounts of water are the preferred option.

In some cases gentle applications of compressed air such as from the cans available from photographic supply houses are also useful – but again be careful not to do any damage.

Track Maintenance: perhaps the most common item you will have to clean will be the tracks themselves, since power is supplied to the trains through them and they tend to build up corrosion and attract dust. There are several different materials commonly used in tracks and each has their own problems and benefits, but all require regular maintenance.

A simple solution is a track cleaning ‘car’ which will help maintain and clear minor build up but stronger measure can often be called for and manual efforts or even mild sanding may be required.

One common tip for cleaning tracks is using the green 'brillo pads' designed for kitchen sinks and cookware. This method has its pros and cons but is commonly used – just make certain you do not buy a pad that has build-in cleansers that may oxidize or damage your track. Here is a great resource that discusses options for the cleaning and maintenance of tracks and track systems.

As for the cars themselves cleaning with a soft sponge that is barely wetted with a mildly soapy water to remove any build-up of dust is all that is recommended since damage and discoloration can easily occur if ammonia or other solvent-based cleansers are used. Be careful with locomotives or other controlled cars not to get any moisture into electric components or on contact points.

The most important thing when cleaning cars and your buildings etc. is to use soft materials and avoid scratching or breaking sensitive components. With care your investment can be maintained in peak condition and with the only dirt and stains showing the ones that YOU added for realism.