The plastic window sill has turned yellow, what should I do?

Spring has already fully come into its own, which means it’s time for spring cleaning. As a rule, housewives begin to put their home in order by washing the windows. After a rainy autumn and cold winter, double-glazed windows look very deplorable: a layer of dust on the glass, dirty smudges on the frame, etc. However, eliminating these traces is not difficult.

Another thing is the window sill. With it, the cleaning process can drag on for a long time, because yellowed stains, which are often found on plastic, cannot be removed the first time, or even the second time. Today we want to help you in this difficult matter, and tell you several ways on how you can wash yellowness from the surface of a plastic window sill. But first, let's talk about the causes of yellow spots.

How to wash off yellowness from a plastic window sill

Preparation

Before starting bleaching, the required surface should be cleaned of grease and dirt. To do this, you should use one of the detergents sold in supermarkets.

Remember, you can only wash plastic with a soft sponge so as not to scratch the surface. In the departments of household chemicals, napkins are available for sale, impregnated with a special agent or made from special woven materials.

You can use them to clean plastic from dust and dirt.

But this will only help remove surface contamination and clean the plastic if particles of grease and dust have not begun to interact with the material.

Causes of yellow spots

First, let's figure out why yellowness appears on plastic windows. First of all, the fault is poor quality material. The cheaper the plastic, the faster it will lose its presentation. In this case, it is almost impossible to return the former whiteness.

But if the cause of yellowing is kitchen soot and greasy drops, then it’s worth getting down to business. Window sills and frames can also lose their white color under the influence of lit candles. And this is also not critical.

In addition, yellowness of the profile can be caused by:

exposure to sunlight;
as a result of the use of grinding or abrasive substances;
sudden changes in room temperature;
due to smoking;
due to contact with polyurethane foam or plaster on the surface of the plastic.

Of course, a damaged profile can be painted, but first try to correct the situation without paint by learning how to remove yellowness from plastic windows.

How to restore the color of plastic that has turned yellow

The main advantage of polymers from which household appliances, kitchen utensils, etc. are made is their resistance to humidity, acid and alkali. But, unfortunately, plastic cannot withstand sunlight, organic matter, grease and dust. But don't worry—you can bleach yellowed plastic. How?

How to bleach yellowed plastic.

There are a lot of products in household chemical stores that help cope with the problem of yellowed plastic. But you can act cunningly (as we love women) and try to bleach plastic at home using improvised means:

soap
dishwashing detergents.
acetone.
chlorine bleach.
perhydrol.
soda ash.
washing powder.

Apply these products based on how much the plastic has yellowed and what caused it:

Discoloration can be caused by soot and dust if we are talking about the kitchen. Plaque on household appliances in the kitchen can be removed with soapy water or dishwashing detergent. You will need a sponge and soap solution. Wipe the yellowed plastic well. If the yellowness does not go away, take a sponge with a more rigid structure.

If your keyboard, monitor, or processor has turned yellow, then you can’t do without special napkins. They can be purchased at specialized stores of office equipment, computers and related products. They will help you deal with yellowness on a plastic surface in a matter of seconds. Moreover, you can be sure that after such cleaning there will be no scratches left on the equipment.
If you have yellowed plastic on small objects, we recommend using a solution that contains soda, washing powder and chlorine. You need to dilute one tablespoon of the above mentioned products per liter of water and leave the plastic product in this solution overnight. In the morning you need to rinse the item under running water and - voila - no yellowness.
If the plastic has turned yellow in the washing machine, on the refrigerator, or on the air conditioner, then you are unlikely to be able to place them in the solution. But seriously, the solution would not have helped - the plastic turned yellow from the heat.

The usual yellowness on plastic will go away if you wipe the surface using alcohol. The result will not be long in coming.
It is better to use technical alcohol - it removes plaque and returns the original color much more effectively, even if the yellowness is not only on the surface, but has already penetrated inside the plastic surface. But be especially careful! Processing with technical alcohol must be quick and careful, otherwise you risk damaging the product.

If you don’t have technical alcohol, ammonia will do just fine. But be careful - cover your face so that it does not get into your respiratory system, and don’t forget about gloves.
If you have a question “how to bleach yellowed plastic,” hydrogen peroxide will help you. Soak a sponge in this substance and wipe the plastic surface 3-4 times.

How to bleach plastic yellowed in the sun.

Yes, you can regularly wipe down plastic products, remove soot, grease, dust, and make sure that the plastic does not turn yellow. But you can't hide it from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation has a detrimental effect on plastic surfaces - they begin to turn yellow under the rays. That is why the once snow-white window sill becomes duller over time and acquires a yellowish tint. If you want to whiten the window sill, you need to adhere to the following rules:

First, the window sill needs to be washed thoroughly. Soot, grease, dust - all this should not be on the surface before you start bleaching the yellowed plastic.
There are several ways to whiten a yellowed window sill, namely:

How to remove stains and rust?

In order to quickly and effectively clean a window sill from stains and rust, all you have to do is go to any household chemicals store, since the choice of products for effectively cleaning plastic surfaces is extremely large.

So, let's start exploring the arsenal of the most effective means for cleaning your window sill:

Universal Mr. Proper is great for a variety of surfaces, including window sills, which are made of plastic material. This product is commercially available in the form of loose powder and gel with abrasive cleaning particles. In order to effectively wash a window sill made of plastic material, you need to dissolve three tablespoons of this product in five liters of water. Treat the surface of the window sill with this solution, then rinse thoroughly with warm water using a soft porous sponge or fiber cloth, after which you can wipe dry with a paper towel. If you don't wash off the cleaning powder well from any surface, the dust will stick to it like a magnet.

In addition to these potent drugs, to clean plastic window sills, you can also use glass and mirror cleaners, washing powder, antibacterial wipes, or a soap solution made from laundry soap.

Window care rules

How to avoid damage and discoloration of windows:

1 It is better to purchase windows from well-known, proven brands.
2 It is better to treat windows with specialized products for PVC.
3 Do not allow plastic to come into contact with hard materials and abrasives, avoid mechanical damage.
4 First, brush off the dust with a dry cloth or broom, then wash with a wet sponge and washing liquids.

Removing stubborn stains

If you neglect the recommendations given above, persistent stains may appear on the windowsill that a soft sponge with a soap solution simply cannot remove. Here the strategy of our actions depends on the nature of the pollution:

If the window sill simply hasn’t been washed for a long time, then the easiest way is to apply a composition with a high concentration of active ingredients to the entire surface. We either spray universal or specialized cleaning products onto the windowsill or apply it with a cloth. After 10-15 minutes, the composition needs to be washed off - the stains will either disappear immediately or will be wiped off much easier. The technique is great for matte PVC window sills, which can “accumulate” dust, dirt and grime on the porous surface.
Local contaminated areas can be easily cleaned with an old toothbrush. Apply cleaning gel to a greasy or dirty stain, and then carefully work it with soft bristles, moving the brush in different directions.
Traces from felt-tip pens and markers can be removed with a regular alcohol wipe. Unfortunately, this method only works while the marker is still wet. Old children's drawings can be wiped off with vinegar or a melamine sponge.
If there are flowers on the windowsill, then unsightly yellow stains often form under the pots, which are difficult to get rid of. Small stains can be removed with hydrogen peroxide: after applying the peroxide, it should be left for about 3 minutes. And then rinse the area with clean water.
It is usually quite difficult to “reanimate” a budget window sill that has lost its whiteness. PVC turns yellow because the inexpensive pigment used to make the plastic absorbs grease droplets and other substances from the air. The already mentioned detergents help, as well as a concentrated solution of laundry soap. A thick soap mass is applied to the yellowed areas, left for at least 15 minutes and then washed off - the active components penetrate into the plastic and dissolve the fat.

Stubborn stains that cannot be removed using the methods described above can be a serious problem. The main difficulty is that the use of solvents helps to cope with contamination, but can damage the plastic itself. This is most important for glossy window sills, so you need to be very careful when using compounds based on acetone and other solvents.

After cleaning the window sill with detergents or solvents, rinse the surface thoroughly with clean water. You can use special protective compounds for plastic - due to their antistatic characteristics, they repel some of the dust and give the polymer window sill a characteristic shine.

Ways to solve the problem

Let's break down the options for restoring PVC window sills into categories depending on the use of the material used.

Important! Before you repair a plastic window sill with your own hands, the surface must be cleaned of dirt, degreased with alcohol and dried.

Chemical cleaners

It is known that the plastic surfaces of windows and window sills are covered with an invisible or decorative film that performs a protective function. If handled carelessly, it will become scuffed and yellowed. To eliminate such minor defects, you can completely restore the part using laminate wax or a special solvent-based Cosmofen cleaner.

How to whiten a plastic window sill?

Plastic window sills can turn yellow for various reasons. This includes dirt and soot (especially on the streets). The method of bleaching largely depends on the “source”. So, for example, if yellow stains are the result of poor dust removal, dish gel or laundry detergent will help you. Prepare a solution by mixing the product with water, dip a clean rag in it and thoroughly wipe all surfaces. Don't forget to rinse the mixture off the windowsill with clean water.

There is another option using washing powder and soda - we have already told you about it.

The main thing is to prepare the solution correctly - mix a spoonful of each product with water, and stir very thoroughly, since small grains can lead to scratches on the plastic. It is almost impossible to repair them, but dirt will begin to penetrate into such microcracks faster.

On heavily yellowed areas that cannot be bleached by simple rubbing, apply the mixture for 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly, removing any remaining solution.

By the way, manufacturers of plastic window sills and windows do not recommend using any abrasive products - their components can damage the material.

If the plastic window sills are matte, you can try a weak solvent. The actions should be as follows:

clean the frame from dust and dirt;
wipe dry;
treat with the chosen product.

Processing didn't help? Run the event again.

We recommend an article about proper care of PVC windows and window sills - it will help you solve all problems without calling specialists.

Tips for proper care of window sills will allow you to always keep the products clean - here you will find everything that will help you with cleaning.

Some important tips for housewives

If the white plastic turns yellow, this may be a sign of poor quality care of the products. Therefore, make it a rule to wipe frames and window sills with special products once a week, and do not forget about other plastic items in the kitchen, including parts for the refrigerator.

The second tip is that in stores you can find products for plastic that will help whiten and protect the material. The main thing is to carefully study the instructions for use to accurately calculate the dose. When working with alcohol, acetone or solvents that have a strong and unpleasant odor, ventilate the room well to avoid poisoning. If you cannot get rid of the yellowness, you need to either replace the window sills or paint them using white spray paint.

Many housewives face the problem of yellow spots. This is often the result of cost-cutting by manufacturers who use low-quality ingredients to produce products. Perhaps in your practice you have come across other means that help solve this problem? We welcome your comments and discussions in this article.

Effective folk methods

When children or people with allergies live in an apartment, the question of how to wash stains on a plastic window sill is very pressing. Chemicals are not suitable for them, so it is better to pay attention to effective folk methods. Among the available tools you will find useful:

household soap;
soda;
chalk or tooth powder;
food vinegar.

The easiest way to clean a plastic window sill from yellow stains is with a soap solution. Mix 50 g of household goods in 1 liter of hot water. soap and wash the white plastic with this liquid as thoroughly as possible. Yellow marks, which often appear from water and soot, will disappear without a trace.

How to clean a window sill from yellow stains and whiten it with chalk or dental powder?

Grind the chalk into dust, measure out 1 tbsp. l. product and pour a little water into it. You should get a homogeneous paste.
Apply it to the windowsill, rub gently and rinse with water.
Tooth powder is used in the same way.

Old stains can be scrubbed off with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Sprinkle baking soda on the dirt, soak a cloth in vinegar, blot the stained area with it, clean and rinse with water. When using this method, be careful not to leave the baking soda on the plastic for more than 5 minutes. It tends to eat away color, so white spots may form on the windowsill that differ from the main shade of the plastic.

Yellow stains from flower pots can be treated with hydrogen peroxide and after 2-3 minutes, wash the surface with water.

Hydrogen peroxide (3%) and hair lightening agent (6-9%)

If everything is not completely neglected, then hydrogen peroxide itself will be enough, with which we wipe all yellowed areas with a cotton pad or sponge (depending on the area). One procedure cannot be done here; such manipulations must be carried out from 3 to 5. If the result still does not suit you, then add 2 tbsp to 1 liter of water. spoons of hydrogen peroxide and hair lightener, thoroughly wipe the surface with a moistened sponge (with gloves!) and its whiteness will again delight you as before. If you want to know for what other purposes this cheap drug can be effectively used, take a look at the Novate.Ru page, you will be surprised at a lot.

Caring for plastic products

To ensure that the plastic surfaces of products in your home always look like new, it is enough to periodically wipe them with a simple soap solution. Various dishwashing detergents and alcohol-free glass cleaners are also suitable for this purpose. You can use shampoos and shower gels.

And finally, you just need to try to minimize the contamination of the plastic products you use. For example, you should not smoke in rooms with plastic windows. You should maintain cleanliness, and then you will never have a question about how to bleach yellowed plastic, and any product made from this material will delight you with its appearance for a long time.

Various alcohols

Due to the fact that plastic does not react chemically with alcohol solutions (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, etc.), they can be safely used to whiten yellowed stains. But to be sure of a successful outcome, it is better to check the reaction of a particular plastic surface to such a radical substance. To do this, walk (with rubber gloves!) over the most inconspicuous area with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol; if everything goes well, then you can safely wipe all the yellowed areas. There is no need to rinse off alcohol solutions, but the room must be ventilated.