Help Needed! New cel in bad condition

Hello, I'm new at this and I just purchased this cel: http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w53414478 It arrived with very bad line fading and covered in dust :( Unfortunately I could not tell this from the pictures, and in the future I suppose I won't be purchasing anything unless cels have a super closeup shot. But I'm wondering, what's the best way to try and clean up the dust at least? Is a wet towel on the acetate a huuuuuuuuuge no no (I wouldn't touch the painted parts but I'd like to at least clean up the clear acetate)? Any advice would be appreciated, I have no clue what to do :(

You can see a better shot of her in my gallery now. She looks so much better scanned, or held up a few feet away >.> I wonder if I should just frame her, she's already been super damaged so I'm not overly concerned with UV light and I'd rather admire her from afar ^_^; *Sigh* What would you guys do?

I've wiped my cels down with a wet cloth--no harm done. Just let them dry out before bagging them up. In my experience, a quick swipe won't hurt the paint or trace lines, either. But stay away from any airbrushing! That stuff is super delicate.

Though, honestly, what you have may not be dust--the acetate might just be scratched. Not much you can do about that.

Thanks :) I was freaking out when I first got it, but honestly, it was a fair price, I just wish it had been taken care of better >.

Klet is right: I'd only suggest a 100% cotton cloth (a decent washcloth is fine) and distilled water, such as you'd use for ironing (or CPAP machines to treat apnea). That way, you won't leave any mineral deposits on the cel. So long as you use a light touch, the paint should be fine.

It's possible, too, that, given the age of the cel, you have acetate oxidation. That's where the plastic itself starts to decompose. It can look like dust, but unfortunately the specks are "out of" the plastic and so they won't wash off.

Sniff the cel after you've left it in the bag awhile: if you smell vinegar, then the acetate may be breaking down into acetic acid (or vinegar). If so, there's not much you can do, except keep it out of the light, store it in a stable environment with few changes in temperature, and leave the cel bag unsealed so that the fumes can vent. All of this will slow the process and prevent more damage.

Hopefully, it's just dirty, as are many of the cels I've gotten. (One looked as if it had been stored in sawdust!)

Seems like every cel I get from YJ these days is not just dirty, but moldy. If restoration is an option, sending a cel to a professional animation art restorer for cleaning will make a big difference.