First of all it's important to stress -- never, ever wash items like - Hummels, Village pieces or Snowbabies.
Using a soft 2" paint brush, dust entire piece. A hairdryer can be used blow dust out of crevices.
Do not keep cold-painted pottery or pottery that cannot be washed in your kitchen area. If you do any cooking at all, they will get a greasy/dusty build-up, which is hard to clean.
...

First of all it's important to stress -- never, ever wash items like - Hummels, Village pieces or Snowbabies.
Using a soft 2" paint brush, dust entire piece. A hairdryer can be used blow dust out of crevices.
Do not keep cold-painted pottery or pottery that cannot be washed in your kitchen area. If you do any cooking at all, they will get a greasy/dusty build-up, which is hard to clean.
source: about.com
From Department 56:
We recommend using a soft feather duster to remove surface dust from the figurines. Collectors have shared with us that using a hair dryer on a low, cool setting, or using canned air (used to clean computer components) is also effective to remove dust. Please do not submerge them in water or a soapy water solution. This may clog the porous material, and cause your collection to become dirtier in the future.

If it's just dust, then wipe it with a microfiber cloth.
You can also submerge the precious moments figurines in a dishpan of mild soapy water as they are porcelain and the color will not wash off. Don't scrub or wash more than one at a time.