How am I supposed to use this Hydrogen Peroxide Stuff?

[Darth Legolas]

Well, reading the NY times article I posted here, Brothers Brick had said that Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) would un-yellow plastic. I also had read it earlier, but if it's on a world-credited newspaper it had to be right...

So I soaked my two, most undesirably yellow pieces, that were almost browning, in hopes that it would work and restore those pieces, which would be quite useful! But, that hasn't happened yet. By now I think I've soaked them for about 16 hours, give or take, and still nothing.

Was it that this chemical was a prevention and not a solution, or am I doing it wrong?

Thanks!

[Millacol88]

Did you use straight hydrogen peroxide? Your supposed to mix it with an "oxy-type stain remover" (Billy Mays FTW!) Here's the original topic.

[prateek]

Yes, I think you're supposed to mix it with Oxy-Clean.

[Millacol88]

Yes, I think you're supposed to mix it with Oxy-Clean.

*Sniff* Billy'd be proud. WITH THE POWER OF OXYCLEAN, I'LL MAKE THESE BRICKS LOOK LIKE NEW AGAIN!

[Darth Legolas]

Aahhhh, now I get it. Well, I guess I do owe it to Billy Mays to buy his commercial's product now that he's...up there.

Moderators, can you keep this open a bit longer just in case something goes wrong when I try that so I can ask for more help?

[prateek]

*Sniff* Billy'd be proud. WITH THE POWER OF OXYCLEAN, I'LL MAKE THESE BRICKS LOOK LIKE NEW AGAIN!

You forgot to BOLD AND UNDERLINE!!!!

[The Green Brick Giant]

He's dead because he did drugs, don't forget that part.

Also Oxy-Clean is just some fancy pool chemical, so it might be cheaper to buy it that way (if you have a lot of LEGOs to clean). Hydrogen Peroxide you can buy for a buck or less, it's the stuff you clean scraps with.

[TJJohn12]

The scant reading I've been doing on the subject suggests to me you'll also need to use UV light (natural or artificial) as a catalyst in the reaction. Haven't tried yet, but that's my impression from the articles I've read.

[JCC1004]

We all know he was on Mighty Putty! I pulled that on my mom, she loved it. My granny, not so much. I don't have anything agaist him. I kinda if thought he was commical and twisted. I don't have this problem since all of my bricks are under two years old. I hope your bricks get clean. Are you the one with the 3PO head with marker? You could put the head in the chemical and it could get the marker off. How worse could it get?

[DLangRI]

I decided to post in this topic rather than making a new one. I tried this experiment with my yellowed white bricks, and I noticed a marked improvement on most of my lighter bricks. I used 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, sodium percarbonate (same as oxyclean, but a generic cheaper chemical), and then a flourescent Black Light. After two days, most turned back to perfect white, yet the really yellowed pieces still had a yellow tinge. I'm trying another round of chemicals again tonight to see, the recipe I used was one scoop of sodium percarbonate per pint of Hydrogen Peroxide. The bricks soaked for about 30 hours in direct UV light before there were no more bubbles from the chemical reaction. The whites still yellowed are about 20 years old, and were exposed to the Florida sun for around 3 or so years (my parents made me keep my legos outside on the porch ;.;). I think the solution works wonders, and I'm hoping another treatment will whiten the still yellowed bricks.

[drdavewatford]

As some have said, I think the key is strong sunlight or an alternative U.V. source. Without this the process just doesn't work. I left my browned pieces in H2O2 soup for almost a week in a glass bowl in the garden but not much happened, and I think it's because we often get no sun in the UK during the winter (!) and it was so cold outside that the reaction was very sluggish. I'll try again over the Summer, and I'm almost certain it'll work better then.

Of course the alternative is to throw the old pieces out and pay pennies for used pieces on Bricklink, but where's the fun in that ?

:-)

Dr. D.

[CP5670]

There is a good description of the whole procedure at this site. I haven't gotten around to trying it yet though.

[Enilder]

can you use any detergent or just oxy clean? i wasnt sure if there's specific chemical component in oxy clean that helps cleaning. i have tons of bricks to "clean" :(

thanks.