Possibly Anal Nerd Studio Question: Dust

[Suntower]

How does one dust, how often should one dust? What to dust?

I hate dusting, but I realise that it's all over everything. Years ago, I used to fix audio gear and I know it does bad things to metal over time.

1. How does one do it efficiently?

2. I've always been told that I'm supposed to put away mics between sessions. I NEVER do that. I was thinking there might be some 'hoods' I could leave on the stands to protect 'em between sessions?

TIA,

---JC

[vvv]

As far as mic's, I leave many up on both tall and desk stands (15 +); I find that cheap 1 quart plastic bags draped on top work well. I don't tie 'em, just leave 'em loose over the mic's, replace when necessary.

And yep, dust is a pretty common problem; I find a feather dust with a shot of Endust or whatever, works OK on a weekly basis. Every cuppla months, tho', I gotta get busy with a dust cloth, some minor un-stacking/dis-assembly of the not-racked out-board, amps, shelves, etc.

I actually polish my guitars at least yearly.

And I open the computer every 90 days or so and vacuum it out.

[Snarl 12/8]

A clean (never used for painting) paint brush works great for getting the dust out of all the little crevices, and nooks of knob-laden gear. That's a tip I got right here on the TOMB that I've been using for a while now.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

that's a good one, thanks.

[Suntower]

The paint brush thing -is- a good one. When I -do- dust I use those 'swiffer' thingees.

Some specifics come to mind:

Do those 'Roombas' really work?

Seriously... I've got several rooms with wood floors and tons of various stands and gizmos everywhere and shelves galore. Vacuuming is a -drag- what with the 10 squillion 'surfaces' and 'crannies' to get in and around.

And then there's all the smegma ensconced on various keyboards and mice and tables from drinking coffee and leaving organic goop (sweat, sweet roll detritus, etc.) on surfaces.

I just don't have ages to go over faders and knobs with toothbrushes, but those spray cleaners are probably not what one wants to put everywhere.

Every once in a while I see these articles about how 'pro' maids can clean a room in 10 minutes and I wonder how they'd do in a typical studio. But I figure there's gotta be some -organised- way to tackle it. I mean... the big studios must have some -system-, right? Whenever I've been in a really nice place it looks as clean as a Four Seasons hotel (about as expensive, too!)

Frankly, I think if I put one of those cop 'UV lights' on the place, the whole thing would glow as one big bio-toxic field.

Am I over-thinking this?

---JC

[vvv]

Hmmm.

I don't know, but I wanna name my next band, Sweet Roll Detritus.

[Marc Alan Goodman]

Most hotel rooms don't have the floor surface area of a recording studio. In fact most hotel rooms in NYC don't have the floor surface area of our bathroom :)

The paint brush is a good trick. You can spray the tip with a little bit of Endust For Electronics too which makes it work kind of like a swiffer, but without the fear of static buildup.

As far as the piles of cables behind racks? I've never found a really good way to do it. We bought a ESD safe vacuum a few years ago so I'm not afraid to cram it anywhere, but it only does so much.

Electricity attracts dust, so definitely put something over your microphones if you leave them on stands overnight, particularly condenser mics which are far more susceptible. As vvv said, don't seal the bags. If you do you'll trap moisture, which can be even worse than dust.

[The Scum]

Covering things when they're not in use is the best first line of defense.

Some covers are more effective than others.

Soundcraft mixers used to come with a fitted cover made of oilcloth that was pretty dustproof. That practice has fallen by the wayside was the mixer industry have shifted downmarket.

Towels and Crown Royal bags aren't as effective - the fabric has holes in it, and dust can go right through them.

I've made fitted covers for things before using heavy painter's plastic dropcloths, and duct tape.

As for dusting the surfaces of knobby things, go to the dollar store and get the biggest makeup application brush they've got. It's made for picking up powder.

Once you get into using contact cleaner regularly, you know that the lifespan of said contacts is probably drawing to a close.

[Suntower]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the tips.

Any suggestions for -surfaces-... like the computer kybds and mix desks?

I just look at all the 'stuff' on the floor and in between the stands and guitars?

Frankly, I wish there was a vacuum that had the guts to suck everything clean... But the dust and cobwebs always seem to be electrostatically 'glued' to -everything- so I end up taking ages with my little swiffer dildos. Takes ages.

Cheers,

---JC

[Justin Foley]

Remember that dusting kicks a lot of dust up and moves it around, only to settle. This process can move dust from ugly but benign places (say, a desktop) to a more harmful spot (inside a piece of equipment).

Make vacuuming as easy as possible - get a couple of smaller ones like dust busters or dirt devil things. Change the bags, keep the filters clean.

Also - a damp cotton rag and a bucket of warm water do wonders for getting rid of dust.

Remember that it you're in a place where you're cleaning dust off regularly enough, it's a good thing. It means that your place is clean and orderly enough that you're paying attention to the right level of organization. No one ever walked into a rat's nest of a studio with piles of cables, half open gear and paper all over the place and thought "this place needs a dusting'.

= Justin

[cgarges]

For getting between knobs on gear, I use either a paintbrush and a hand-held vacuum or a Swiffer, which works GREAT. I usually dust flat surfaces with some kind of furniture polish or something sprayed on a rag or paper towel.

As far as how often, the meter bridge of my console and the top of my monitors get dirty about once a week. If anything gets to the point where someone can touch it and see where they touched it, it's definitely time to dust. But I usually do it right before the start of a lengthy session or if I'm giving a studio tour.

I have to say that probably the most impressive thing about my session at Electrical Audio in Chicago was that I never saw a spec of dust anywhere in that studio.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Nick Sevilla]

Just get a group of cokeheads into your studio, and tell them that the dust is all coke.

Watch how clean it gets, and how quickly too...

They will do the best job, not destroying any gear in the process of getting their sacred blow out of there.

[The Real MC]

I rent a house and have put my studio in the basement. The basement is unfinished with fiberglass floor insulation overhead. Fiberglass "sheds" a lot of dust.

I've lived in a lot of different places and this fiberglass dust is the worst I have dealt with. You can't just brush it off with a paintbrush, you have to apply cleaner to a cloth to get it completely off. The blasted crap gets UNDER the wood cover I built for my console! I have to keep towels on my gear when I am not using it.

Yeah I should cover up the insulation but 1) I don't own the place and 2) I am working on getting my own place and out of this hole.

[ChrisNW]

For getting between knobs on gear, I use either a paintbrush and a hand-held vacuum or a Swiffer, which works GREAT.

This. Holding a vacuum attachment near the gear and gently brushing the dust toward it. Cleans things perfectly and you know you're actually getting rid of the dust instead of blowing it into the gear.

[Snarl 12/8]

The basement is unfinished with fiberglass floor insulation overhead. Fiberglass "sheds" a lot of dust.

Dude! That shit is shredding your lungs. It's fiberGLASS?! Cover it up or get out of there, it's that simple. You only get one set of lungs. And they're, arguably, more important than ears to a living musician/engineer.