Cleaning White Plastic Lawn Chairs

[Charlie Case]

Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
speckles all over them.

[Vicki]

Clorox cleanup has worked for me many times, but if the furniture is getting
too old then I just have to give it away or throw it out. I've had better
luck with the "hunter green" colored furniture.
Charlie Case wrote in message <374E1CB1...@cedar-rapids.net>...

[Sarah A. Novak]

> Charlie Case wrote in message <374E1CB1...@cedar-rapids.net>...
> Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
> PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
> speckles all over them.

Last year, my chairs were really disgusting. I considered just
replacing them, but my husband told me he'd had success with SOS pads.
Yes, you no longer have glossy plastic chairs, but they are WHITE
again. The SOS and, face it, elbow grease worked really well. I'd
say at least one pad per chair, and I concentrated on the chair seats,
backs and arms only.

It only lasted a season, and I should really clean them again, but a
few dollars for a box of SOS to do seven chairs versus a minimum
of $5 to 10 dollars each to replace the chairs seemed like a good
trade-off to me.

I've read other suggestions elsewhere, but the SOS pads are the only
thing that has worked for me.

Regards,

Sarah

--
"Poor dears, they can't help it. They haven't got logical minds."
Mrs. Goodacre, "Busman's Honeymoon"

[Daniel Hicks]

Charlie Case wrote:
>
> Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
> PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
> speckles all over them.

The plastic has deteriorated due to UV light, ozone, etc. In theory
they could be painted, or probably sanded smooth somehow. The dark
speckles probably are simple dirt, but it's hard to remove from the
rough surface.

Note that white has the worst problem, since it doesn't have the
pigments to block the UV light. Darker colors will fare better.

[PaulMmn]

Instead of SOS, try one of those plastic Scrubbie-Pads. You won't be
scuffing up the surface of the plastic, and dirt won't stick as much.

A good dose of Clorox (R) may help if the black speckles are mildew.

--Paul E Musselman
Pau...@ix.netcom.nospam.com

On Sat, 29 May 1999 10:29:58 -0400, "Sarah A. Novak"
<sa...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

>> Charlie Case wrote in message <374E1CB1...@cedar-rapids.net>...

>> Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
>> PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
>> speckles all over them.
>

[Charlie Case]

Getting them clean is relatively easy without much elbow grease. You can
simply spray them with bleach and rinse them off after awhile. But I'm not
sure the bleach is good for the chairs. The chairs I have are made of thick
plastic and seemed to have some kind of smooth outer coating on them. Bleach
or UV has broken down the shinny outer coating and now they are chalky white.
Don't sit in them with black pants. I had a guest do that once on a bad
chair. Bummer. Most cleaning methods that I've seen suggested will destroy
this outer coating. Does it make any sense to use wax or paint after the
coating has been destroyed?

[Daniel Hicks]

The "coating" is just the outermost thickness of plastic. Weather and
UV light destroy the plastic and make it turn rough.

[Ken and/or Laura Britton]

Sarah A. Novak wrote:
>
> > Charlie Case wrote in message <374E1CB1...@cedar-rapids.net>...
> > Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
> > PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
> > speckles all over them.

I use my pressure washer - but if you do, make sure you have the chair
well anchored. The high pressure setting will put them into the
neighbors yard pretty quickly!

Ken

[Walter Boomsma]

Charlie Case <cwc...@cedar-rapids.net> wrote:

>Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
>PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
>speckles all over them.
>

I just found (but haven't tried it yet) a product called "Professional
Strength Resin Cleaner." It claims that it will "clean and restor
luster to resin and vinyl strap patio furniture." The ingredients
aren't spelled out but it "contains calcium carbonate, solubilizers,
and detergents." No phosphates or chlorine.

Will report back after I've had time to give it a test!

Walter
on-line achievement tips:
http://www.mindspring.com/~abilities/

[Veruca]

A friend of mine reported excellent results with one of those organic
citrus-based cleaners.

V.

In article <3754fd84...@news.mindspring.com>,

[Sueso]

Walter Boomsma <abil...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:3754fd84...@news.mindspring.com...

> Charlie Case <cwc...@cedar-rapids.net> wrote:
>
> >Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
> >PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
> >speckles all over them.
> >
>
> I just found (but haven't tried it yet) a product called "Professional
> Strength Resin Cleaner." It claims that it will "clean and restor
> luster to resin and vinyl strap patio furniture." The ingredients
> aren't spelled out but it "contains calcium carbonate, solubilizers,
> and detergents." No phosphates or chlorine.
>
> Will report back after I've had time to give it a test!
>
> Walter
> on-line achievement tips:
> http://www.mindspring.com/~abilities/

Would you believe my husband used the pressure washer and it did a good job
without the chemicals!
--
Sue on the Oregon Coast

People are like tea bags-you have to put them in hot water
before you know how strong they are.

[phil...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, May 27, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Charlie Case wrote:
> Does anybody have a good way to clean white lawn chairs that are made of
> PVC-like material? They have become chalky from the sun and have black
> speckles all over them.

I tried this on my resin chairs which were badly oxidized. Vinegar didn't do a thing. Neither did baking soda. What worked was a Brillo Pad and Barkeepers Friend with a lot of scrubbing. What was much easier was Clorox Pro Outdoor Bleach. (Sodium hypochlorite and Sodium hydroxide - generic brand $4/gallon). Hose off large dirt first. Wipe it on with a damp sponge. I wore nitrile or vinyl gloves with the cuffs duct-taped to rubber gloves. By the time I had two chairs wiped down with the viscous solution, the first chair was ready to wipe down with a Scotch Brite Pad (kept damp). Hose off. The solution will ruin clothing - wear old work cloths. Bad spots take 2 treatments. The chairs look almost new, except they are still a bit chalky. I rubbed the residue off with a plastic cleaner such as Armor All.

[Art Todesco]

I realize that the OP probably threw out the chairs by now (1999) but I
did find a product made specifically for that purpose in one of the big
box stores (many years ago too) that worked perfectly.