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Creative => How-To => Topic started by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:15:28

Title: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:15:28
Hi everyone!

I had very good results cleaning some playmobil with the chemical solution "hydrogen peroxide". I guess many of you have already done this, but nevertheless here it goes.

Old playmobil e.g. from the flea market, or after some time exposed to sunlight, gets darker - especially white parts. I found a table from the Victorian set 5323 second-hand and already had one of those in a very good condition. Compare them here:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO5323_1.jpg)

And this was the result after cleaning:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO5323_2.jpg)
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:17:04
I was extremely happy with a very old 3771, which got shiny-white, as it should be:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3771_1.jpg)

Detail:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3771_2.jpg)

So here is how to do it:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:28:41
Shopping list:

1) A bag that has no holes (water-proof!) and can be easily and completely closed, as big as you need.

2) SUNLIGHT! (a rare thing in Germany, I could never do this between September and May...  ;))

3) Solution H2O2, or:
English:     hydrogen peroxide
German:     Wasserstoffperoxid
Portuguese :) (@Tahra) água oxigenada

3% solution will do and it's less dangerous, but you'll achieve better results with a 12% solution.

Here's an example from the pharmacy in Germany (3%, 125 ml for 2,50 Euro) :

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AOprocess_1.jpg)

...and another one, sold as "pool cleaning material" (12%, 1 liter for 8,50 Euro) :

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AOprocess_2.jpg)
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:38:28
Here's a dolphin who was in need of a bath:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AOprocess_3.jpg)

the dolphin inside the bag with a bit of the solution:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AOprocess_4.jpg)

There is no need to fill the bag completely with the solution, because the atmosphere created with the sunlight will do the job. Just shake the bag so that everything gets moisturized.

And let the sun shine on it :) How long? Well, it depends on the measure of the discoloration... We usually left it two hours or more, but the sun here is not so strong, so maybe in the south of Europe 5 minutes will do  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:45:24
WARNING!! ACHTUNG!! ATENÇÃO!! :omg:

As you could see displayed on the bottles, this solution is aggressive. Don't let children or animals get close to the liquid, even if they are very dirty too.  ;D  Try not to touch the solution yourself, or you will get your skin discolored too, like me  :loco:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AOfinger.jpg)

:0
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 01, 2018, 22:59:34
You can use plastic gloves, for example.

After cleaning, you can reuse the solution and the bag!  :) Get the playmobil out of the bag (with GLOVES! or very very fast!) and put it directly in a basin/bowl previously filled with clean water. Just wash the stuff away. This chemical doesn't have any unpleasant smell, and your playmobil parts will be like new.

Here's the bottom of a Marine Schoner I found at a flea market recently (@Tahra: now I have a original one too, though incomplete, I might get the parts missing from the replica), before the cleaning:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3740_1.jpg)

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3740_2.jpg)

And after:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3740_3.jpg)

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3740_4.jpg)

That's all! Have a wonderful week, everyone!  :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: playmofire on July 02, 2018, 05:19:12
Those are excellent results and a  very clear explanation of how to use the product.  Many thanks.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Ismene on July 02, 2018, 07:21:33
Interesting. We have a lot of sunlight here, so I might need to give this a go one day.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: tahra on July 02, 2018, 07:44:33
Thank you for the very detailed post - for dummies! My favorite how-tos :-[

AMAZING results!! :o

If I manage that, it will be a LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG line.

And there are no bad effects from that? I can live with some part being damaged, but I was thinking of Midnight, for example (our first white elephant) - bad side effects on creatures we can lot live with.


There is no need to fill the bag completely with the solution, because the atmosphere created with the sunlight will do the job. Just shake the bag so that everything gets moisturized.

The dolphin doesn't even need to be submerged?

As you could see displayed on the bottles, this solution is aggressive. Don't let children or animals get close to the liquid, even if they are very dirty too.  ;D 

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 02, 2018, 08:10:23
Thank you for your nice replies!

And there are no bad effects from that?

I hope not... But I can't be sure how this works with other types of plastic, if that applies to the old elephants? (we don't have any white elephants, unfortunately). It's important not to leave it too much time exposed to strong sunlight, and the parts should be clean (not dusty, etc), or the solution can provoke some stains, I guess.
We had very good results with Steck walls from the castle (3666) too, and those parts are grey and not white. They look much better. Be careful, though, with the great Portuguese sunlight :)

The dolphin doesn't even need to be submerged?

It doesn't, that's the good news, there isn't much waste. The parts should be wet, and the sun must shine on it.
 :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Tiermann on July 02, 2018, 19:40:45
I've had very good results with this method. I use a glass bowl for mine, but the bag is a good idea. It forms little bubbles on the sides of the object as the chemical reaction happens so moving things around from time to time is good. I cleaned up a white horse nicely this way last year. I just bought some fresh to try some on a space vehicle next full sun day off I get.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: tahra on July 02, 2018, 19:47:29
I hope not... But I can't be sure how this works with other types of plastic, if that applies to the old elephants? (we don't have any white elephants, unfortunately). It's important not to leave it too much time exposed to strong sunlight, and the parts should be clean (not dusty, etc), or the solution can provoke some stains, I guess.
We had very good results with Steck walls from the castle (3666) too, and those parts are grey and not white. They look much better. Be careful, though, with the great Portuguese sunlight :)

Right... plenty of steck too.. and system X.

It doesn't, that's the good news, there isn't much waste. The parts should be wet, and the sun must shine on it.

:)

I use a glass bowl for mine, but the bag is a good idea.

I was thinking glass bowl as well, but for some of the parts would have to be HUGE!
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Klickteryx on July 06, 2018, 06:29:24
Have any of you tried using it on something with print? As in, will it damage the print?
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on July 15, 2018, 11:24:57
Have any of you tried using it on something with print? As in, will it damage the print?

Hi, this is a tough one. It depends on the thickness of the print and the intensity of UV-radiation. So, no general advise, except being careful... You can try it indoors for some days and check frequently, meaning: there will a weaker atmosphere inside the bag but no harmful sun rays.  :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: GrahamB on July 16, 2018, 06:49:51
I think the [photo]chemical process needs UV light (found in sunlight) to work, so indoors or through glass might not get the best results.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Hadoque on July 16, 2018, 22:28:17
A German color collector told me once to just lay yellowed playmo directly in a bright summer-sun for a day or so and that by this the parts would get white again, so just by UV-radiation and without any chemical product whatsoever...
Not sure if that is true and I´ve never tried it (living in Belgium with it´s modest climate, you know.) But as this summer is the hottest and sunniest since 1976, I might give it a try...
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Klickteryx on July 17, 2018, 05:13:15
A German color collector told me once to just lay yellowed playmo directly in a bright summer-sun for a day or so and that by this the parts would get white again, so just by UV-radiation and without any chemical product whatsoever...
Not sure if that is true and I´ve never tried it (living in Belgium with it´s modest climate, you know.) But as this summer is the hottest and sunniest since 1976, I might give it a try...
That doesn't sound right as it's sunlight that makes them yellow in the first place. If you peel a sticker off something yellowed it's a cleaner colour underneath so it doesn't yellow just through age.
It would be convenient though.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Hadoque on July 20, 2018, 01:20:26
That doesn't sound right as it's sunlight that makes them yellow in the first place.

That is exactly what I replied to him, but he insisted that long enough exposure directly into a very bright summersun would turn yellowed parts white again :eh?:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: tahra on August 03, 2018, 15:36:18
I'm wondering... sun is good for this..

How about heat? We have LOADS of sun now, but we're boiling. Probably a bad idea to attempt this during a heatwave, right?
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: GrahamB on August 04, 2018, 08:40:51
I think you may be right, Tahra. There is some evidence that yellowing happens even in the absence of direct sunlight, so heat is a good candidate. The yellowing is caused (I read) by the migration of Bromine atoms to the surface of the plastic, something which an increased temperature would almost certainly accelerate. (The Bromine is part of an additive used to reduce the flammability of the toys).
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Macruran on August 04, 2018, 15:16:09
And here I thought the Bromine was where they dug male siblings out of the ground.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: tahra on August 04, 2018, 15:22:24
I think you may be right, Tahra. There is some evidence that yellowing happens even in the absence of direct sunlight, so heat is a good candidate. The yellowing is caused (I read) by the migration of Bromine atoms to the surface of the plastic, something which an increased temperature would almost certainly accelerate. (The Bromine is part of an additive used to reduce the flammability of the toys).

Right... will wait.... Thanks :)
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: klickyklack on February 05, 2020, 15:39:15
I was extremely happy with a very old 3771, which got shiny-white, as it should be:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3771_1.jpg)

Detail:

(http://www.togetmystuffdone.com/PM/AO/AO3771_2.jpg)

Apologies for digging up an old post, but wow!  That's a great result!  Since you did this has the yellowing begun to return any?

I know some people that've used this treatment on other collectible toys & dolls have found that over time the yellowing returns.   :'(

I have 2 x 3771 houses & 1 is fine but the other is very yellowed so I've been meaning to try this myself so it's great to see how nice your results were.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: playmofire on February 05, 2020, 16:48:23
On a very yellowed piece of Steck castle wall  I've recently soaked it for about 48 hours in a 20% domestic bleach solution successfully.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Tiermann on February 05, 2020, 20:48:07
I think the hydrogen peroxide is a better technique than bleach. I once over soaked with the bleach and ended up effecting the texture of the plastic surface, making it rougher. I haven't had that happen with the peroxide, but it does require sunny days.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on February 17, 2020, 09:21:24
Apologies for digging up an old post, but wow!  That's a great result!  Since you did this has the yellowing begun to return any?

I know some people that've used this treatment on other collectible toys & dolls have found that over time the yellowing returns.   :'(

I have 2 x 3771 houses & 1 is fine but the other is very yellowed so I've been meaning to try this myself so it's great to see how nice your results were.

Hi klickyklack! I still looks the same today, I am happy to say  :)
You're very lucky to have twice this beautiful house! I hope this post is helpful to you  :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: klickyklack on February 17, 2020, 18:00:45
Hi klickyklack! I still looks the same today, I am happy to say  :)
You're very lucky to have twice this beautiful house! I hope this post is helpful to you  :wave:

That's great to hear! Thanks so much for the info  :)  It really is a lovely little cottage!  I'll try the treatment later this year when we have more sunlight here.   I hope I get as good a result as you did!  :heart:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Nora on April 04, 2020, 07:32:54
Many thanks to you, Luftgaengerin, for this great thread  :love:! I just bought a big lot of slightly yellowed Playmo over ebay-kleinanzeigen.de for a really good price and I will try your method, too. But first I need a big bag because one of the things is the upper part of a motor caravan  ;)

Stay well everyone and greetings from Nora  :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on April 28, 2020, 19:55:51
Hi Nora! I'm sorry, I just saw your message now; you are very welcome! I wish you luck and lots of fun with your caravan!  :) I would like to see it, please feel free to write any results and/or any photos on this thread (or elsewhere in PF, of course)
 :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Giorginetto on May 04, 2020, 18:06:02
Excellent stuff ! Thanks so much for sharing !!! I have lots of parts that could do with such cleaning especially old Steck walls and old western fort walls (god these were lovely weren't they, back in the early 80s we loved building Western forts with them ...) as well some 10 old pirate ships !!! great stuff !!! absolutely great stuff !!!  :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Luftgaengerin on May 05, 2020, 14:32:19
Excellent stuff ! Thanks so much for sharing !!! I have lots of parts that could do with such cleaning especially old Steck walls and old western fort walls (god these were lovely weren't they, back in the early 80s we loved building Western forts with them ...) as well some 10 old pirate ships !!! great stuff !!! absolutely great stuff !!!  :wave:

Thank you, Giorginetto! I've seen your posts with pics of your collection, it's just AMAZING!  :love:
Take care & keep safe  :wave:
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Mansave75 on June 03, 2020, 10:55:06
Hey guys, I have mine (ref. 3771) at this moment using the peroxide process and when it finishes I'll show you the results, it's very promising  :D

By the way, I'm here again after a long break with Playmobil and I hope to enjoy here again. Thanks for sharing everything!
Greetings,
 ;)
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Wigglesworth on October 07, 2021, 14:27:53
This process is brilliant for restoring the grey walls.  In my experience the whites, yellows and blues are fine too.

WARNING though -- Please be wary about doing the red roof pieces with this process.  Having had such great results with the grey walls I put most of mine out on a lovely sunny day in 3% for a few hours.  They faded/bleached really badly. I'm trying to burnish(?) to restore them but it's beyond painstaking.  Unfortunately, the birthday is not far away now so have resorted to purchasing a round and square tower roof.  The house roof requires replacing too I think.

Hopefully by posting this I can spare someone else.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: playmofire on October 07, 2021, 14:58:16
Red is a semi-transparent colour and so is easily damaged.  It's also why until recent years it was so prone to fading in string light (hence, the strangely dull dark pink old cars you sometimes still see).  I als remember that red paint on woodwork went on unevenly in colour and needed three coats whereas other colours needed only two.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: Wigglesworth on October 08, 2021, 09:25:55
Well I am just counting it as a lesson learned, but I really don't want to scrap the roof parts.

Given the comments from playmofire, I am not too hopeful but my follow up question is; has anyone any experience in a spray paint job to restore the red colour.  Not sure what the shade is (figured I could think about that later).  Just wondering if it would work in principle.
Title: Re: Cleaning playmobil with hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]
Post by: GrahamB on October 08, 2021, 18:48:14
I think you might be able to spraypaint roof parts with a matt car paint. Good idea to spray them with a plastic primer first. Try Halfords!