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Household plastics

The catch-all for the polymer surfaces in every room. Solvents do not clean them, they dissolve them — and the same word covers a dozen different polymers.

What not to do

Acetone is unsafe on Household plastics

Unsafe

Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.

Damage is dissolution or crazing rather than a mark, and it cannot be polished out.

Precautions

  • Ventilate the area
  • Test on an inconspicuous area first

Evidence

Strongly supported

Sources

  1. 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 plastics. (states this directly)

White spirit is unsafe on Household plastics

Unsafe

Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.

Precautions

  • Ventilate the area
  • Test on an inconspicuous area first

Evidence

Strongly supported

Sources

  1. Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Stoddard Solvent (RTK 1736)

    New Jersey Department of Health, 2008 · Government or regulator

    Relied on for: That Stoddard solvent attacks plastic, rubber and coatings. (states this directly)

Chlorine dioxide requires the precaution Household plastics

Unsafe

Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.

Precautions

  • Ventilate the area
  • Never mix with other cleaning products
  • Keep away from children and pets
  • Consider professional help

Evidence

Strongly supported

Sources

  1. Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Chlorine Dioxide (RTK 0368)

    New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator

    Relied on for: That chlorine dioxide is a gas whose permissible and recommended airborne exposure limits are both 0.1 ppm. (states this directly)

In detail

Most of what a household calls plastic is one of a handful of polymers — polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, ABS, polycarbonate, PET — and they differ enough that a treatment safe on one crazes another. The single fact that governs almost every domestic question about them comes from the solvent side, and two regulator fact sheets state it in three words each: acetone attacks plastics, and Stoddard solvent, or white spirit, attacks plastic, rubber and coatings. Both substances appear on the same sheets as solvents FOR plastics, which is the point — the cleaning use and the damage are the same property applied to different objects. A caustic adds a second mechanism: potassium hydroxide attacks some forms of plastics, rubber and coatings. What is left is the safe middle, and it is wide: warm water, a neutral detergent and a soft cloth handle nearly everything. Two failure modes are worth naming because they look like ageing rather than damage. Crazing is a network of fine cracks produced by a solvent under stress, and it appears days after the exposure. And a dry cloth on a plastic surface is worse than a damp one, because static already on the part pulls dust straight back.

Properties

Sensitivity

Acids
Not known
Alkalis
Sensitive
Chlorine bleach
Not known
Heat
Sensitive
Abrasion
Sensitive
Porous
Not applicable

“Not known” means nobody has established this, not that the material is unaffected.

What works

    Mould remover requires the precaution Household plastics

    Safe only in specific conditions

    This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.

    Only within these limits:

    • For MOULD. This is not a general-purpose cleaner and is not routine care
    • Hard surfaces only — absorbent materials are discarded rather than treated
    • Windows open during and after, and DOORS SHUT so spores are not carried to other rooms
    • Mask, gloves and goggles, washed or safely discarded afterwards
    • Small areas only; larger areas of mould go to qualified professionals

    The doors-shut half of the ventilation instruction is rarely stated anywhere, and it is the one most people get backwards.

    Precautions

    • Ventilate the area
    • Wear gloves
    • Wear eye protection

    Evidence

    Supported

    Sources

    1. Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home — guidance for rented housing providers

      UK Health Security Agency and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, GOV.UK, 2023 · Government or regulator

      Relied on for: That an appropriate cleaning product is used on hard surfaces and left to dry completely, that windows should be open during and after clean-up and doors shut to prevent spores spreading, that a mask, gloves and goggles are worn, and that larger areas should only be addressed by qualified professionals. (states this directly)

    Detergent is safe on, in specific conditions, Household plastics

    Safe only in specific conditions

    This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.

    Only within these limits:

    • Hard plastic that is structurally sound
    • Scrub with a stiff brush in HOT water with household detergent, the aim being physical REMOVAL of the growth
    • Dry completely, within 24 to 48 hours
    • Correct the moisture problem first, or it comes back

    Two regulators say the same thing from different directions: the federal guidance directs detergent and water on hard surfaces, and a state health department names hard plastic among the materials that can be cleaned if structurally sound.

    Precautions

    • Ventilate the area
    • Wear gloves
    • Rinse thoroughly afterwards

    Evidence

    Strongly supported

    Sources

    1. Mold and Moisture in Homes

      Minnesota Department of Health · Government or regulator

      Relied on for: That surfaces are scrubbed with a stiff brush, hot water and household detergent with the goal of removing the physical mould growth, that hard plastic, solid wood, concrete, metal and glass can be cleaned if structurally sound, and that drying follows within 24 to 48 hours. (states this directly)

    2. Mold Cleanup in Your Home

      United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · Government or regulator

      Relied on for: That mould is scrubbed off hard surfaces with detergent and water and dried completely. (states this directly)

    3. A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home

      United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Air and Radiation, 2012 · Government or regulator

      Relied on for: That it is not enough to simply kill mould, it must also be removed, and that moisture control is the key to preventing recurrence. (states this directly)

    Why

    Related

    Hacks and claims involving this

    Sources for this page

    Sources

    1. Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)

      New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator

      Relied on for: That acetone is a solvent for plastics and that it attacks plastics. (states this directly)

    2. Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Stoddard Solvent (RTK 1736)

      New Jersey Department of Health, 2008 · Government or regulator

      Relied on for: That Stoddard solvent attacks plastic, rubber and coatings. (states this directly)

    3. Cleaning instructions for luminaires

      ETAP Lighting International · Manufacturer documentation

      Relied on for: That a dry cloth must not be used on plastic parts because static already built up on them attracts dust, and that only antistatic detergents without alcohol and no abrasive or polishing products should be used. (states this directly)

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