Plastic storage boxes
The most common place a household meets plastic ageing: staining that will not come out, and a lid that has gone tacky for reasons nothing to do with dirt.
What not to do
Acetone should be avoided for Plastic storage boxes
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)
New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That acetone attacks plastics and is a solvent for resins and plastics. (states this directly)
Conserve O Gram 8/4: Care and Identification of Objects Made from Plastic
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That improper cleaning techniques cause damage and accelerate deterioration of plastics. (states this directly)
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
- Dustvia its material
Mostly textile fibres and skin, held by static as much as by gravity — which is why a dry cloth on a plastic surface makes it worse.
Why it is difficult: Static and dust, Mechanical action and abrasion, Why different surfaces get different dirt, Surface roughness
- Sticky plastic· no established method
The commonest cleaning problem that is not dirt. The tackiness is the plastic's own additive arriving at the surface, which is why wiping it off works for a week.
Why it is difficult: Plasticizer migration, Damage versus soiling
- Tomato stain· no established method
Carotenoid pigment in an acidic, oily sauce. The pigment is fat-soluble, which is why washing in water sets what looks like an easy stain.
Why it is difficult: Fat-soluble pigments, Protein denaturation, Heat-set stains, Pigment retention
- Mustard stain· no established method
Coloured by turmeric in most prepared mustards, and curcumin is a pH indicator — which is why an alkaline cleaner turns a yellow mark red.
Why it is difficult: pH indicators in stains, Fat-soluble pigments, Photodegradation, Pigment retention
- Food colouring· no established method
A concentrated water-soluble dye with nothing else in it. Nothing has to be emulsified or dissolved — the only question is whether the surface has taken the colour up.
Why it is difficult: Capillary absorption, Dye migration and colour bleeding
A sticky, yellow-brown tar film deposited everywhere at once. It is the reason a room smells after everything visible has been cleaned.
Why it is difficult: Adsorption of odour molecules, Solubility and polarity
The science behind this: Fat-soluble pigments, Solvent crazing, Static and dust, Solvents and polymers, Plasticizer migration
In detail
Plastic storage and food containers are where two separate plastic problems arrive in one object. The first is staining. Fat-soluble pigments — the lycopene in tomato, the curcumin in turmeric and curry — dissolve into the polymer surface rather than sitting on it, which is why a container washed thoroughly is still orange. That is pigment retention, and no detergent addresses it because there is nothing on the surface to lift. The second problem is the material. The conservation guidance describes plasticizers migrating to the surface over time, leaving the material tacky and eventually brittle — so a sticky lid is not dirty, and cleaning removes only what has already arrived. Degradation announces itself by smell before sight, with acidic or camphor odours indicating early stages, and once weeping, tackiness, discolouration or crazing are visible the process is rapid and irreversible. Two care points follow: improper cleaning is itself listed as a cause of deterioration, and storage should be ventilated rather than sealed, because trapped gases accelerate degradation.
Why
- Plastic storage boxes is explained by Fat-soluble pigments
The orange is in the plastic, not on it. The box is stained and undamaged, and that is a distinction worth having.
Related
- Plastic storage boxes is made from Household plastics
- Plastic storage boxes is made from Household plastics
- Plastic storage boxes is commonly affected by Sticky plastic
- Plastic storage boxes is commonly affected by Tomato stain
- Plastic storage boxes is commonly affected by Mustard stain
- Plastic storage boxes is commonly affected by Food colouring
- Plastic storage boxes is commonly affected by Tomato stain
Hacks and claims involving this
- Sticky plastic just needs cleaning Does not work
Sources for this page
Sources
Conserve O Gram 8/4: Care and Identification of Objects Made from Plastic
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That plasticizers migrate to the surface leaving the material tacky and brittle, that acidic or camphor odours indicate early degradation, that visible signs mean deterioration is rapid and irreversible, that improper cleaning accelerates deterioration, and that plastics should be ventilated rather than stored in impermeable packaging. (states this directly)
Spot Solver: spot and spill removal procedures
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That tomato and turmeric-coloured deposits are treated on the tannin-and-dye branch and that colour may remain after the substance is removed. (inferred from the source; not stated directly)