Cleaning up plastic patio furniture.

My mother has kindly rooted through her shed and supplied me with some of those white plastic chairs as Im having a lot of people over in the next few weeks and dont have enough seating. They havent faired well after a decade in a shed.





Cobwebs and mud will come off easily, and Im planning to clean them up by giving them a scrub with some detergent- biological laundry stuff as well as Fairy liquid- however its covered in what looks like ancient mold? :D

Any tips or should I just paint them?

 

I *think* you can buy special cleaners that are designed for plastic patio furniture. but never tried them, so no idea if they're any good or not.

I'm not convinced that painting would work - wouldn't you need to use one of those multi-surface prep things first (and that just seems like a lot of hassle to me).

Jiff maybe?

 

Just found this link that suggests dishwasher powder and borax
How to Clean Patio Furniture Cushions and Canvas : How-To : DIY Network
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Hey Rachel, thanks for the link!

Can I ask if the heavily alkaline (borax) suds which will run off into the beds or drain system will harm anything?

 

Thanks as always M.

I might give it a try as I have some bleach in the house. I think the borax would be less harmful to the ecosystem in the garden and I recall reading that the ammonia in bleach will attract cats.

Would toothpaste do the job do you think?

Doesnt my weekend sound cool?

 

t cut or cutting compound, work on our old table just remeber to rinse after

 

Hello you!

What is T cut when its at home?

 

Its a car-paint "polish". It cuts some of the surface off the paint to reveal the original colour. Used to "cheer up" old dilapidated cars without spending any more than a few bob!

 

Thanks to those who mentioned solvents. It worked.

Here's a tip- - a rub down with white spirit and a dish scourer. The grot just sloughed off.
No effort at all. Brought the plastic up fully white. That said, I've only done one chair as yet :D

 

Loads of good advice has been given regarding removing stains etc, but once you've got rid of the grott use a bit of car wax on the chairs to help reduce future staining - it also gives them a better shine.

 

A Karcher type pressure washer Shiney?


I will be waxing the chairs- great idea Dave.