How To Clean Chalky Plastic Lawn Chairs

The people living in the warmer regions of the country might understand the value of having pretty lawn furniture in their homes. However, maintaining the beauty of the furniture is a bit of a challenging task; the sun usually results in the chalky look of the furniture. Therefore, to keep your plastic lawn chair in the best shape, it is essential to learn how to clean a chalky plastic lawn chair in the summers.

How To Clean Chalky Plastic Lawn Chairs

Your plastic chair might lose some charm with the passing time, as the UV rays seem to harm the chair’s color. However, it can be restored. In this article, we will discuss various methods that you can use for cleaning your chalky lawn furniture.

Products That You Can Work With

There is no one hard and fast rule when it comes to treating a chalky lawn chair. Thus the products mentioned below are going to support one methodology.

• Plastic rejuvenator
• Mild abrasive cleaner and car wax
• WD-40
• Vaseline
• Heat gun
• Spray paint

These products can be easily bought from a store, and they also speed up the cleaning process for a chalky lawn chair.

You choose the product of your choice depending on your budget.

Method 1: Using A Plastic Rejuvenator

Various products can be used to go about treating a chalky plastic lawn chair. So let us begin with discussing using a plastic rejuvenator to treat a chalky plastic lawn chair.

Here are the steps that you will need to follow:

1. Take a small bucket of water and add some detergent or mild soap to it.
2. Now clean the chair using a mild scrub by applying pressure in a circular motion.
3. Now wash the chair with clean water and let it dry. 
4. Now take a soft cloth or a microfibre cloth and put some plastic rejuvenator on it.
5. Now wipe the chair with the microfiber cloth to spread the rejuvenator even;y on the chair.
6. Let the chair dry outside and see if the chair needs a second coat.

Do not forget to read the instructions before applying the plastic rejuvenator, as the instructions might change depending upon the brand of the rejuvenator.

Method 2: Using A Mild Abrasive Cleaner And Some Car Wax

Suppose you are not interested in moving forward with the plastic rejuvenator thing.

In that case, you might be interested in using a mild abrasive and some car wax to restore your chalky plastic lawn chair this summer.

Here are the steps that you will need to follow:

1. Take a bowl and mix ½ cup of baking soda into 1 gallon of clean water.
2. Now rinse your plastic lawn chair with this solution and let the chair dry.
3. Now read the instructions on the car wax container and apply the coat accordingly on the chair.
4. Once the chair has completely dried, you have to buff the wax away.

If your chair is quite dirty and has many stains, sprinkle a little baking soda on your sponge, scrub the chair until the stains are entirely removed, and then rinse the chair.

Method 3: Using WD-40 

WD-40 is one of the most unusual elements one can think about when cleaning a chalky plastic lawn chair.

The package comes with an instruction manual, or you can also read it on the official website.

Here are the steps you will need to follow for using WD-40 on your lawn chair:

1. Take some water in a small bucket and add some baking soda and mild soap to it.
2. Now rinse the chair well with a sponge and scrub the chair in a circular motion.
3. Give the chair a good clean with some clean water and let it dry.
4. Now spray some WD-40 on the plastic lawn chair and spread it with a microfiber cloth.
5. Now take a clean, soft cloth and wipe the extra WD-40 off from the chair.

Here is a link to the video guide for cleaning a chalky plastic lawn chair with WD-40

Method 4: Using Vaseline To Clean The Plastic Lawn Chair

Vaseline is one of the most pocket-friendly cleaning items that are available in our household. It is easily available in the market and does not require any special instructions for the application.

Here are the steps that you will need to follow for using Vaseline to clean the plastic lawn chair:

1. Take a buck and add one gallon of clean water to it. Now mix at least ½ cup of baking soda to create a mild abrasive for cleaning the lawn chair.
2. Now take a sponge, dip it into the solution, and clean the chair in a circular motion.
3. Rinse the chair with clean water after scrubbing and let it air dry.
4. Now take some amount of Vaseline petroleum jelly in your hand and apply it evenly all over the chair.
5. Let it sit for about a minute, and then remove the jelly with a microfiber cloth.

Here is the link to a study discussing the properties of petroleum jelly in our daily lives.

Method 5: Using A Heat Gun

The steps mentioned above might look pretty simple and easy to do, but using a heat gun is a complicated mechanism.

Therefore, you need to be familiar with using a heat gun before you start using it on your chalky lawn chair.

Here are the steps you need to follow for using a heat gun to clean your plastic lawn chair.

1. Start with setting up the temperature of your heat gun from low to medium, depending on the brand of your heat gun. If you have any doubt, always go for the lower settings.
2. Now move the gun over small sections of the chair to heat the area evenly. You will observe that the quality of plastic is improving.
3. Once you are satisfied with the section you are working on, move on to the other section.
4. Repeat until the complete chair is cleaned.

This process is a long one and might demand a lot of patience from your side. Make sure you work equally on all the sections. Otherwise, patches might be formed on the chair.

Method 6: Using Spray Paint

Using a heat gun is one of the most complicated and time-consuming processes to keep your chair an excellent shiny look.

The easier cleaning your chalky plastic lawn chair is by using spray paint to restore the color. Here are the steps that you will need to follow:

1. Mix some vinegar and baking soda in a bucket of water and clean the chair with a sponge.
2. Let the chair dry and then spread some newspaper on the floor and turn your chair upside down.
3. Take the can of the spray paint and start spraying the bottom region of the chair. Make sure that there is a distance of at least 8 inches from the floor.
4. Once the bottom part of the chair is painted and dried, turn the chair upright and repeat the same process for the upper side of the chair.

Some areas of the chair might demand some extra coats depending on the quality of the paint.

How To Prevent The Oxidation Of A Plastic Lawn Chair

There are a few precautions that you can take to prevent your lawn furniture from getting a chalky look. Here are some tips that you should consider:

• First, make sure you bring your furniture inside, especially when the sun is really strong.
• If your furniture is big and cannot be brought inside, buy a good quality plastic protection spray to protect your furniture from the harmful UV rays from the sun.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Get Stains Out From A White Plastic?

Here are a few methods that you can consider for treating stains on white plastic:

1. Bleach: Mix one part of bleach in 4 parts water and submerge the plastic into the solution for an hour, then remove the piece and wipe it dry with a clean cloth. Bleach is pretty handy for cleaning various materials such as oyster shells and silicone ear plugs, but quite dangerous for things like rope hammocks.
2. Vinegar: Mix equal parts of vinegar and water into a bucket and dip the plastic into the solution; remove the piece after one hour and wipe it dry with a cloth.

How Can I Remove Mildew From Plastic Chairs?

Lemon juice works best for mildew. Spray some juice on the plastic, let it sit for 10 minutes, and clean the area with a clean cloth.

Conclusion 

Beautiful lawns are one of the reasons that people can enjoy the summer to the fullest with a cold glass of lemonade. Maintaining the lawn furniture might seem like a challenging task, but it is not if you use the right products. You can also opt for preventive measures to keep the furniture in its best shape.