Almost nothing is as permanent as plastic. You hear about it often enough, yet somehow clear plastic always seems to turn yellow eventually. While this doesn’t signal that the plastic is degrading, it seems practically impossible to clean yellowed plastic.
In this article, we will test recommended methods to clean plastic. We aim to find the best way to clean yellowed plastic and make it clear again. Preferably with the least amount of effort.
What Causes Yellowed Plastic?
The reason why plastic turns yellow may vary. We find plastic in a broad variety of products, thus it also gets exposed to a broad range of things that can change its color. Most commonly it is sunlight that causes the color change, but in plastic food containers certain foods, oils, or even the microwave may have caused its discoloration. But anyway, we will now figure out how this can best be undone.
Ever considered a vacuum sealer instead of plastic containers?
We go in-depth in our article about vacuum sealers that can even handle the most challenging food types.
How To Clean Yellowed Plastic
First, we collecteded some yellowed food containers to run our experiments on. Subsequently, we searched the web for recommended methods to try out.
These are the methods we will be testing today:
- Oven cleaner
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Bleach
- Vinegar + Citric Acid
- Alcohol
- Baking Soda
To compare the results equally each solution is allowed 30 minutes to clear the yellowed plastic. The containers are also not filled all the way, just so that we can clearly see the difference between the clear and yellow parts.
Method 1: Oven Cleaner
Requirements:
- Oven cleaner / degreaser
- Warm Water
- Paper towel
Process & Outcome
I poured some warm water into the plastic container, added 10 sprays of oven cleaner, and finished it off by adding a small piece of paper towel.
Once 30 minutes passed I emptied the plastic container, rinsed it off, and dried it with a paper towel.
When I checked the container afterward, there were no noticeable differences to see on the plastic container.
Method 2: Hydrogen Peroxide
Requirements:
- Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
- Water
Process & Outcome
I mixed the Hydrogen peroxide with cold water (50-50) and poured it into the plastic container.
Once 30 minutes passed I emptied the plastic container, rinsed it off, and dried it with a paper towel.
When I checked the container afterward, again, there were no noticeable differences to see on the plastic container.
Method 3: Bleach
Requirements:
- Bleach
- Water
Process & Outcome
I mixed the bleach and water at the recommended 1:8 ratio and poured it into the plastic container.
Once 30 minutes passed I emptied the plastic container, rinsed it off, and dried it with a paper towel.
When I checked the container afterward, there were once again no noticeable differences in the plastic container.
Method 4: Vinegar
Requirements:
- Vinegar
- Citric Acid
- Water
Process & Outcome
I mixed the vinegar with citric acid and cold water (one-third each) and poured it into the plastic container.
Once 30 minutes passed I emptied the plastic container, rinsed it off, and dried it with a paper towel.
When I checked the container afterward, there were no noticeable differences in the plastic container. This was starting to get worrying.
Method 5: Alcohol
Requirements:
- Alcohol 96%
- Water
Process & Outcome
I mixed the alcohol with cold water (50-50) and poured it into the plastic container. When I poured it into the container it foamed a bit. This gave the suggestion that it was reacting with the plastic.
Once 30 minutes passed I emptied the plastic container, rinsed it off, and dried it with a paper towel.
The foam had given me false hope. When I checked the container afterward, there were no noticeable differences in the plastic container.
Method 6: Baking Powder
Requirements:
- Baking powder
- Water
Process & Outcome
I poured some baking powder into the container and added a splash of water to create a paste. Next, I rubbed the paste over the bottom of the plastic container.
Once 30 minutes passed I emptied the plastic container, rinsed it off, and dried it with a paper towel.
After rinsing off the baking soda paste I did notice the plastic container became a bit clearer, still, it wasn’t entirely clean. Intrigued by the fact that something finally happened I proceeded to repeat this method once more. This time, scrubbing more thoroughly and even scrubbing the outside of the plastic container.
Another 30 minutes passed until I cleaned the baking soda off the same way as before.
Unfortunately, the result remained the same: the baking soda didn’t remove the yellow taint completely.
Is It Possible to Clean Yellowed Plastic?
To my shock and horror, none of the methods showed a significant result. When the disappointment faded, I figured there must be a way to get the job done. I noticed that a lot of the methods diluted the active part of the solution. Therefore, all the solutions (except baking powder) got another chance to prove themselves.
Second Attempts To Clean Yellowed Plastic
Oven Cleaner, Hydrogen Peroxide, And Alcohol
For the second attempt to clean with these chemicals, I only used a small amount. This was mainly because the hydrogen peroxide and alcohol only came in small bottles. To make it clearly visible whether or not undiluted exposure works I decided to tilt the plastic containers on their sides and placed them against the window. This way a small puddle would form in the corner of the plastic containers. Theoretically, these corners should turn clear after another 30 minutes pass by.
When the time ran out I cleaned the plastic containers and checked if one of the corners was clean. Unfortunately, none of the containers seemed to have a clean corner. At this point, it became uncertain if any of these methods can clean yellowed plastic.
Vinegar with Citric Acid
I poured equal parts of vinegar and citric acid in a plastic container and gave it another 30 minutes. Once again, no results.
Bleach
This time I went all out with the bleach. Filling the plastic container completely. The bleach got a yellow taint almost immediately, sparking some hope that this may work this time.
Once 30 minutes had passed I emptied the plastic container, and to my surprise, it still wasn’t entirely clear. However, after rinsing the remaining bleach out and drying it with a paper towel it was as new. Finally, a method that works.
It worked so well that it made me wonder how far I could push the boundaries of this method. Could it work in less than 30 minutes? Would it be possible to reuse the same bleach on the next plastic container?
The Best Way to Clean Yellowed Plastic
After the first success with bleach, I tried to clean two more plastic containers. However, this time I set a timer for 5 and 10 minutes. The results speak for themselves, as you can clearly see the results getting better from left to right. Next, I tried to clean a plastic container within 15 minutes.
The 15-minute container came out as clean as the 30-minute experiment. Furthermore, it is worth pointing out that the bleach in the 5, 10, and 15-minute experiment was the same bleach being re-used. So it’s not necessary to use new bleach every time you clean yellowed plastic.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that it can be challenging to find the right way to whiten and clean yellowed plastic. Especially when following the traditional advice of diluting the cleaning agents with water beforehand. As I have shown, there are tons of solutions going around on the internet that do not help solve this issue.
If you want the best chance to clean your plastic in one attempt you now know how: pure bleach. It’s effective, quick, and cheap. Furthermore, the bleach bath can be re-used to clean multiple plastic items. Therefore, our recommendation for yellowed plastic is a 15-minute bleach bath. And if you want you don’t want to waste too much bleach, know that it is possible to reuse the bleach for multiple items. Just make sure to carefully rinse off the bleach afterward.
We hope this article is of use to you. Please share your experiences with cleaning plastics. We’d love to hear your stories!
