Board Game Miniatures: Cleaning, Storage, and Paint Safety
By Fowers Games | Published: 2026-10-15
Category: Tips & Care
A practical care routine for unpainted and painted board game miniatures: dust and clean without damage, store them so they stay unbent, and handle paint safely.
Quick answer
Treat every miniature as two separate jobs: the model and the paint. Clean with a dry, soft brush first and only add water when a mark truly needs it, store minis upright in a compartmented tray or foam so nothing leans or rubs, and keep paint, primer, and varnish away from food, skin, and children. If your minis are unpainted, like the Burgle Bros Miniatures set, skip the wet steps entirely until you decide to paint.
Start by knowing what you are actually cleaning
Unpainted miniatures and painted miniatures fail in different ways. Bare plastic or resin collects dust and skin oil, which is easy to remove and rarely causes damage. Painted minis have a thin acrylic layer that water, alcohol, and friction can lift, so the goal shifts from cleaning to not disturbing the surface.
Check the finish before you touch anything. If the figure has a matte or satin sheen, it is painted or varnished and should be treated as fragile. If it looks like plain grey or colored plastic with mold lines, it is bare and can take more handling.
Set up a cleaning station that limits mistakes
Work on a light-colored towel or tray so small parts do not roll away, and keep a second dry cloth for drying. Use a soft makeup brush, a clean paintbrush, or a camera lens blower for dust. Avoid paper towels on painted surfaces; the fibers catch on details and the texture can scuff a finish.
Keep water in a shallow dish rather than a running tap. A damp brush gives you control, and you can stop before moisture reaches a base or a paper-thin part. Never soak a miniature, and never put painted minis in a dishwasher, ultrasonic cleaner, or hot water.
Store minis so they hold their shape
The most common storage damage is not breakage, it is bending. A miniature that leans against another for months can warp a sword, a leg, or a thin base. Store figures upright in individual compartments, or in foam cut to the figure's shape, and avoid stacking heavy boxes on top of them.
If you use a box with loose compartments, add a layer of soft foam or tissue so pieces cannot slide. Keep the storage area out of direct sun and away from heaters. Heat softens plastic and speeds up paint fading, and both problems are permanent.
Handle paint, primer, and varnish safely
Acrylic hobby paint is designed for models, not for skin or food surfaces. Paint in a ventilated room, keep drinks and snacks out of the workspace, and wash your hands after a session. If you use spray primer or varnish, go outside or use a spray booth; the propellant and solvent fumes are the part you actually need to avoid.
Store paint pots upright with the lids sealed, and keep them out of reach of children and pets. If a pot leaks or dries out, do not thin it with household solvents. Use the thinner made for that paint line, and only in a ventilated space.
Plan for the fact that most minis arrive unpainted
Many board game miniatures ship unpainted, which is actually good news for care: you can clean them with a dry brush, store them however you like, and postpone every paint-safety question until you are ready. The tradeoff is that bare plastic shows dust and mold lines more clearly, so a quick dry-brush pass before each game night keeps them looking sharp.
If you do paint them, seal the work with a varnish matched to your paint line. A varnish layer is what lets you clean a painted miniature later without stripping the color, so it is not an optional finishing step.
Miniature care routine, step by step
- 1. Sort painted from unpainted: Lay the minis on a light towel and separate them into bare plastic and painted or varnished figures. Common mistake: assuming everything in one box has the same finish, then using water on a painted piece that only needed dusting. Checkpoint: if you cannot tell, clean it as if it is painted.
- 2. Dry-brush the dust off: Use a soft makeup brush or lens blower to lift dust from recesses and bases. Work over the towel so debris does not spread. Common mistake: pressing hard into details, which bends thin parts and pushes dust deeper. Checkpoint: the mini should look clean before you consider any liquid.
- 3. Spot-clean with a barely damp brush: For sticky marks on bare plastic, dip a soft brush in water, blot it on a cloth, then dab the mark. For painted minis, use the least water you can and stop if color transfers to the brush. Common mistake: soaking the whole figure or using alcohol on acrylic paint. Checkpoint: if paint comes off on the brush, switch back to dry cleaning.
- 4. Dry fully before storage: Let minis air-dry on the towel for at least an hour, longer if any moisture reached a base or joint. Common mistake: boxing them damp, which traps moisture against the paint and the tray. Checkpoint: no cool or damp feeling on the underside before it goes back in the box.
- 5. Store upright in compartments or foam: Use the original insert, a compartmented tray, or foam cut to each figure. Keep figures from leaning on each other and do not stack weight on top. Common mistake: tossing minis loose into a single bag, which is where bent weapons and snapped ankles happen. Checkpoint: shake the closed box gently; if you hear sliding, add foam.
- 6. Paint and varnish with ventilation and separation: Paint in a ventilated area, keep food and drinks away, and spray primer or varnish outdoors or in a booth. Seal finished minis with a varnish matched to your paint line. Common mistake: skipping varnish, then discovering you cannot clean the painted figure later without risking the color. Checkpoint: wash hands after every session, and store paint out of reach of children and pets.
Product facts
- Burgle Bros Miniatures: Burgle Bros Miniatures is a set of custom miniatures for playing with Burgle Bros 1 or 2, with 12 miniatures (9 burgle bros and 3 guards) in custom GameTrayz inside a box styled as the Burgle Van. They do not come painted. The GameTrayz insert already solves the upright-storage problem, so you can store these minis in the box as intended instead of buying separate foam. Because they arrive unpainted, you can start with dry cleaning only and decide later whether to paint.
