How to polish plastic?
Today we are going to discuss about How to polish plastic and different types of methods to polish plastic.
In this modern and technological world, plastic is the universal material used in almost everything. How to polish plastic? Besides being the use of plastic in household chores such as in kids’ playhouses, food storage, lawnmowers, etc, it is the only material that has been used in mobile headlights to the eyeglass lenses for decades. But this material can be easily prone to scratches and dull at any time. Appreciation to the household products, which can be used in polishing and cleaning the plastic. Out of which, many products can be found easily in medicine cabinets.
If you are searching for (How to polish plastic) polishing your plastic automobiles headlight covers and wearable glasses, then read on to this article further to get more information.
Polish your plastic with different types of methods given below
1- Polishing with toothpaste
In the polishing of plastic materials at homes, toothpaste is the most effective way. It can remove all the scratches well from plastic.
If you are getting a good gel toothpaste, while if you have found one with baking soda, then it’s like the cherry on the cake. Just add some amount of toothpaste to the microfiber or cotton cloth and rub it on the scratched area of the plastic in circular movements.
Follow the steps for some minutes or until the scratch is no longer visible. Then rinse and dry the plastic. If the scratch is still there, repeat the process.
2- Polishing with liquid metal polish
No matter what brand of liquid metal polish you are using, it can do wonders for the removal of scratches and polishing the plastic. But yes, use protective shields like gloves because the liquid metal polish is a chemical that might harm you.
Shake the liquid metal polish bottle well and put some drops on the cloth, dab it on the scratched plastic and then rub it in a circular motion for up to 20 minutes or depending upon the type and depth of the scratch.
It might not help in removing the scratch from the deep but it will remove the upper layer. Rinse the plastic with cold water and wipe it off with a lint-free towel.
3- Polishing with sandpaper
Wet sandpaper is usually effective for cleaning the unpolished surface easily. The sandpaper can be used for polishing big surface areas like headlights and patio furniture. But before using the wet sandpaper, confirm whether it’s suitable to soak the sandpaper because it will be there in the water for approximately 10 minutes.
Then apply the 220/230 grit and process it to the finer grit to get the final finish.
Rub the scratched area with sandpaper gently to ensure that there will be no sand in the surrounding area and clean the residue with a cotton cloth.
4- Polishing with vaseline
Do you know that you can now make your plastic material shine and polished just like new with vaseline too? You just need to have a vaseline or any ointment that has petroleum jelly in it. Because petroleum jelly helps in making any plastic shine. Just rub the vaseline to the plastic material, and leave it untouched for a minute and then wipe it off with a damp cloth. And now your dull plastic is not dull anymore.
5- Polishing with baking soda
This method of polishing plastic is also the same as polishing with toothpaste. But here you need to make a paste of a similar consistency to that of paste with baking soda and water. Apply the paste to the scratched or polishing area of plastic with circular movements and through a microfiber cloth. Rinse and dry the plastic, and repeat the process if required.
6- By using a heat gun
If your headlight has become dull and cloudy, then you should use a heat gun for bringing back the smoothness and shine back to the surface. First, you need to heat the plastic, but below its melting point, else it can be dangerous. So it’s suggested to use the heat gun at the lightest speed and move across the scratched place properly. It will just take some minutes to polish your whole plastic surface.
Preventive measures
1- Cover plastic patio furniture
The first measure you should take care of while polishing the plastic surface is to cover the plastic patio furniture like a playhouse, chairs, etc. Covering them will help the furniture from discoloring from the sun, and also helps them in removing the scratches from bad weather. While the best way is to keep your items in a shed or garage.
2- Clean plastic regularly
By cleaning the plastic-like eyeglasses and headlights regularly, you can skip the process of polishing them. Because the dirt and dust will not get accumulated to the debris and lead to lighter scratches which can be easily polished in one go from the above methods.
3- Avoid stains altogether
Try to avoid putting stains on your plastic like headlights so that they may not lead to darker and deeper scratches. And can be polished easily in one go from the methods discussed above.
FaQ's
1. How to remove scratches from clear plastic?
2. How to cut hard plastic?
3. What temperature does plastic melt?
4. How to remove deep scratches from plastic?
5. How to dye plastic?
Also Read:- How To Clean Fire Place Glass?
tag: How to polish plastic
One comment
Pingback: Do Raccoons Climb Trees