Cleaning soft white plastics

[Quandary]

Apologies, as I am sure this question must have come up before but I have not been able to find an answer.
I took the covers off the boat yeaterday and washed the salt and road dust off the deck this morning, the instrument covers, dorade vent funnels and everything made from that soft white flexible plastic are distinctly grey and grotty looking, scrubbing with Cif was ineffective.
So is there a way to get them looking either white or clean again, I presume the surface is degraded and the answer might be to paint them as I suspect that once strong chemicals or solvents are used the problem rapidly gets worse?
Any suggestions of an effective long lasting cleaning or painting product would be appreciated or do I have to replace them all at silly prices. (No, I don't have a 3d printer)

 

[pcatterall]

Apologies, as I am sure this question must have come up before but I have not been able to find an answer.
I took the covers off the boat yeaterday and washed the salt and road dust off the deck this morning, the instrument covers, dorade vent funnels and everything made from that soft white flexible plastic are distinctly grey and grotty looking, scrubbing with Cif was ineffective.
So is there a way to get them looking either white or clean again, I presume the surface is degraded and the answer might be to paint them as I suspect that once strong chemicals or solvents are used the problem rapidly gets worse?
Any suggestions of an effective long lasting cleaning or painting product would be appreciated or do I have to replace them all at silly prices. (No, I don't have a 3d printer)

Sorry, the dirt migrates into those plastics and it is virtually impossible to get out. Painting may be the way to go and there are aerosol paints for plastics. I suggest you could try one inside a cover as a test. Give the surfaces a good clean before painting. Not sure if a light sanding to help key the paint would help.

 

[pvb]

I think UV degradation is probably to blame, and the surface usually becomes slightly sticky to the touch. I haven't found anything to clean the surface satisfactorily, and I doubt that painting would be effective.

 

[rotrax]

I used 1200 wet and dry, done wet, to get the surface clean and smooth.

Once I was satisfied, a good hard wax has kept them good for the last 3 seasons.

They were plastic ventilator dorade trumpets.

 

[Yngmar]

that soft white flexible plastic

That's probably PVC then. If it is, you should have amazing success with uPVC (PVC-u) solvent cleaner from the builder's shop. Got a bottle from Toolstation back in our UK days for a few quid. Apply with a rag, wait a couple minutes (depending on temperature) and then rub off with a clean cloth and medium pressure. The solvent softens the top layer which then wipes off along with all the dirt, mould and sun damage.

 

[V1701]

I seem to remember putting the square instrument covers in a bucket of diluted bleach before now and it got them white again...

 

[ashtead]

If they have gone beyond a clean with Astonish then a cleaner for plastic windows or garden tables might be only solution . You could replace the dorado ones with polished metal versions to avoid same problem in future?

 

[Quandary]

I am not sure if it is pvc, if you mean the stuff they use for washing bowls, seems to stay soft indefinitely, but it may be worth trying them in the dishwasher, though the bases would be a struggle to remove. I will try the bleach first, failing that the wet abrasive and wax after that I may try painting before I startlooking for replacement.
Thanks, guys, for taking the time to respond, appreciated.

 

[ashtead]

Only other thought is a pressure washer - think of stuff used for cheap plastic garden chairs for the patio. I guess the real question is can you replace one if it’s destroyed by cleaning.

 

[Bikerwookie]

If it’s the same flexible white plastic
/rubber as winch handle holders a magic sponge is the key. Brings 6yr old ones up like new.

 

[Laysula]

That's probably PVC then. If it is, you should have amazing success with uPVC (PVC-u) solvent cleaner from the builder's shop. Got a bottle from Toolstation back in our UK days for a few quid. Apply with a rag, wait a couple minutes (depending on temperature) and then rub off with a clean cloth and medium pressure. The solvent softens the top layer which then wipes off along with all the dirt, mould and sun damage.

Cheers for that. I have just cleaned my instrument covers (ST50) with Everbuild PVCu solvent cleaner from Toolstation, £3.98, very impressed.

 

[bluerm166]

Thanks for a useful tip about cleaning pvc with the Everbuild cleaner from Toolstation.
It does the job on winch handle pockets very well but like other materials containg solvent =,like wipes - it still leaves a slightly tacky surface that rapidly picks up dirt.
I read on a cruisers forum that someone with this much discussed problem had subsequently added polish to protect the surface .
I thought this was a desperate solution at the time but faced with replacing fairly recent pockets,again, I've tried the polish today and it certainly looks promising.