Sticky Plastic and How to Clean It

2 Materials
15 Minutes
Easy
As a professional organizer, I get a unique view on how things fall apart. It's true, they don't last forever. When plastic gets sticky, it's usually a sign that something is old enough to be recycled. But occasionally we need to fix those sticky things instead of tossing them.
I've seen plastic decay on all sorts of things, including dolls, toys of all types, appliances, and recently even my remove control for my home stereo. Some plastics are manufactured with an outer coating that decays over time, and gets sticky or gummy. Obviously, I am not throwing this remote control out, so I went to work trying to de-stick it.
Orange essential oil is standard for removing adhesive stickers, but it didn't do the best job on just removing this tacky layer on my remote control.
Next I tried baking soda, and found success. Just mix a thick past of baking soda and a little water, then rub the area that has gone tacky, then wipe it off with a dry cloth.
You might be able to see almost immediately that the sticky layer is coming off. No gloves or safety equipment needed.
Just be cautious to remove batteries and keep the baking soda away from the battery compartment, so you don't end up with corrosion.
Compare this picture, where it looks like it's a matte finish, with the one at the top with a "gummy" sort of surface.
Good as new. Readers have since told me that they've used other things to clean sticky plastic, like Murphy's Oil Soap, Goo Gone wipes and a few other chemicals I'm not familiar with. You can check out their suggestions in the comments section on my blog.


Has this situation happened to you? Did you find a way to remove the sticky, gummy mess?
Suggested materials:
  • Baking soda   (Target)
  • Water   (free)
Darla DeMorrow
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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 1 comment
  • William William on Feb 05, 2018

    I use Goo Gone or WD40. I think the baking soda is gritty enough it removes a bit of the coating along with the stickiness.

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