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Cleaning Lego

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  • 22-08-2006 1:08pm
    #1
    El Nick
    Registered Users Posts: 115 ✭✭


    Anyone got any old lego, specifically white lego?

    And has it gone all yellowed in its old age? I've got some and I can't find a decent way of cleaning it. I tried the following:

    Fairy liquid/Toothbrush - Good for getting grime off but not much else.
    Fairy liquid/Scourer Pad - Pretty good. Cleaned off some tiles that way. But it *does* scratch your bricks.
    Steradent/Toothbrush - Doesn't seem to do too much at all.

    I'm contemplating bleach but don't know if the bricks will stand the treatment.

    Anyone got any ideas/experience?

    Nick.


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    #2
    Kolodny
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,634 ✭✭✭Kolodny


    I'd say bleach could be a bit too harsh as the plastic becomes brittle with age and it probably won't be possible to restore the colour completely. I've heard that soaking them in a bucket of hot water with a bit of standard bathroom or kitchen cleaner (e.g. Flash) for a few hours then giving them a scrub with a toothbrush does a good job.


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    #3
    Steve_TcK
    Closed Accounts Posts: 44 ✭Steve_TcK


    Hi all,

    I just use a large pillow case with a zip on it :

    Put all the lego in the pillow case and put it in on a 40 wash i the washing machine !

    Works great :)

    Steve


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    #4
    Scraggs
    Registered Users Posts: 5,578 ✭✭✭Scraggs


    Steve Tck's idea is really good!

    White Lego can be very hard to keep white, something to do with sunlight distorting the colour permanently ..oxidisation or something [I'm sure someone else can give a better explaination;)]

    Back in the day [strike]mammy[/strike] I used Jif to clean plastic toys and it did the job, but any white plastic that had discoloured never really went back to its former self.

    Good luck anyway OP:)


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    #5
    lostcarpark
    Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭lostcarpark


    Yellowing is a problem for old bricks. It particularly affects white bricks, but can also happen in grey and other light colours. Exposure to UV seems to accelerate the problem, so leaving models outside or on a window-ledge for extended periods is not a good idea.

    If you are thinking of building models for permanent display, you could take a tip from the LegoLand theme parks - they've started coating their models with a special varnish that protects them from 95% of UV.

    Unfortunately, I don't believe there's any way of "cleaning" yellowed bricks, as it's a change to the chemical structure of the plastic rather than anything stuck to the surface.


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