Is there a way to get white plastic back to white once it yellows?
Question:I received this cute Japanese storage container many years ago and the trim on it is white plastic. Not so cute now that it's yellowed, but I don't wanna throw it away. HELP!
Answers:
When a plastic yellows, it is the result of a chemical reaction in the plastic caused by exposure to light. Modern plastics have stabilizers that slow or eliminate the yellowing process altogether. However, once it occurs, it is not reversible. You only alternative will be to paint the object.
The best and safest thing to try, I would say is a baking soda paste. This also works if it has gotten sticky over the years.
Krylon makes a spray paint for plastics it works great!
Apply 3% hydrogen peroxide (from the pharmacy). After 5 - 10 minutes, rinse with tap water. My experience is that peroxide works better than Clorox on plastic. Prolonged contact will bleach your skin also. Use rubber gloves and rinse your skin.
You may even want to give lemon or lime juice a try - it can help remove stains so you never know - its in the citric acid so maybe if it is rubbed into the plastic it will whiten..
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