Tidy Up History Guide
Tidy Up History: Beginners' Tips
Red dot key tracking, unknown item drops, highlight habit, level 10 labeling timing, and camera angles for webs and wallpaper.
Last updated: September 18, 2026
Quick Answer
Red dots = new keys. Drop unknown items. Highlight always. Label late. Level 9 electricity, level 10 labels. Webs and wallpaper need camera angle — spin until the prompt shows.
Hi, I'm Vook, a museum tidier who lost twenty minutes to a spider web because I stared at it head-on like the game owed me a prompt.
Spoilers / QoL — nothing here breaks the story because there barely is one. Main route: hub walkthrough. Collectibles: keys, books, labels.
Red dots = new keys
After you pick up a key, a red dot indicator appears on the HUD. It tracks recently acquired keys so you do not forget one in a full backpack.
I check dots before leaving any wing. No dot does not mean you are done forever — it means nothing new since the last pickup.
Full key chain: key locations.
Drop unknown items — come back later
Mystery artifacts clog slots. If highlight and knowledge books have not identified it yet:
- Drop it in a clear corner of the artifact room or wing floor.
- Keep sorting what you do know.
- Return after Knowledgeable progress or level 10 labeling.
Carrying three unknowns is how you make eight trips to the same stairs.
Highlight is not optional
Highlight shows correct placement slots. I toggle it constantly — same as visor habits in Eco Volunteer.
Without highlight you are guessing shelves. With it, the wing Complete achievements are just execution.
Backpack full → artifact room
When inventory fills:
- Go to the artifact room (or wing sorting table).
- Place on yellow / highlighted slots only.
- Fix nearby broken pieces for XP on the same trip.
Do not leave with a full bag thinking you will "remember" — you will not.
Level 9 electricity, level 10 labeling
| Level | Unlock |
|---|---|
| 9 | Electricity — wired repair nodes in later wings |
| 10 | Labeling — tag unidentified artifacts |
XP = repairs + sorting. Early game is slow because you fix everything manually — that is normal.
Label late. Mass labeling at level 10 creates rework if you still move pieces. I unlock Archivist once, then bulk label during the final sweep.
Physical label pickups are separate items — label locations.
Wallpaper and spider webs — camera angle
Some wallpaper peels and spider webs refuse to interact until you hit the right camera angle.
- Walk up to the spot.
- Orbit the camera slowly — left, right, slightly above.
- Wait for the fix / clean prompt.
- No prompt? Back up, approach from the stairs or the other side of the pillar.
Ornithopod and Indigenous North America Knowledge Books sit in webs — same trick: knowledge books.
Broken floorboards for keys (Andean room → Ornithopod key) need repair first, then loot.
Floor repair — same angle trick as webs. Ornithopod key sits under boards like this: key #12.
Key audio cues
Keys sometimes chime or sparkle when you are near. Headphones help. Tables, crates, railings, and floor spawns are the usual hiding spots — full list.
Dinosaur bones = big artifacts
Spinosaurus bones use the same highlight → place loop as pottery. Full inventory runs are normal. Finish the mount for When Dinos Ruled the Earth: hub Phase IV.
100% museum check
Before you assume the game is bugged at 99%:
- One Complete [Wing] achievement still grey? Missing artifact or web.
- Keymaster short? Re-walk the 16-key chain.
- Knowledgeable short? Webbed books in Ornithopod / North America.
- Capstones: Master Cleaner and Fully restore the Museum — achievement order.
More Tidy Up History guides
Return to the guide hub for the full walkthrough index, or browse every game in the library.