Hi all,
I'm unsure if this is the best place for this type of question, but I thought I'd at least start here.
I've been out of making scale models for quite some time, but recently have been wanting to get back in to it. All of my modeling stuff had been kept in boxes in my storage shed and garage for the last few years, and after pulling them out I made a very upsetting discovery. My boxes of tools and paints were fine, along with my unfinished models, but a box that contained a wide variety of assembled and painted models had been invaded by rodents. At some point they had found their way in to a small opening in the box and built a nest. It could have been a lot worse, but it's definitely still a nasty situation.
What I'm wondering, is anyone familiar with a way to thoroughly clean/sanitize painted models? If they were unpainted I would probably just wash them with bleach water multiple times, but I'm worried this would fade the paint or wash it off completely. If this information is useful at all in deciding a course of action, the models are all Tamiya models that were painted with Tamiya acrylic paint. One large model was sprayed with a sealant topcoat (can't remember exact kind), but the rest are just the acrylic paint.
I really appreciate the time and assistance from anyone that has any suggestions or input on this. I was really excited about getting back into building and painting models, but it was very disheartening to see every model I've ever completed potentially ruined. I'm hoping there's a way to clean them up so they can be displayed again.