How to Clean White Vinyl Furniture

Cleaning vinyl is simple

White vinyl furniture is typically placed on a patio or deck and should be cleaned at least twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall. Because it is porous, vinyl will absorb stains, and they can be tricky to get out. Follow the instructions below and avoid using harsh chemical cleaning products on your furniture other than those mentioned. Doing so could easily and permanently damage your pieces.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket(s)
• Garden hose
• Soft brush
• Sponge or rag
• Liquid dish soap (like Ivory or Dawn)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Synthetic turpentine
• Mineral spirits

Instructions

1. Move your white vinyl furniture to an outdoor area reachable by a garden hose.

2. Mix a few squirts (approximately ¼ cup) of liquid dish soap in a bucket filled with one gallon of water.

3. Brush off any dried mud or bird droppings with a soft brush.

4. Use a garden hose or a bucket of water to wet the entire piece of furniture.

5. Dip a sponge or rag into the soapy mixture and, without wringing it out, wipe down your white vinyl furniture.

6. Spray it clean with the garden hose or another bucket of water.

7. Act at once to remove stains from white vinyl furniture using a sponge and synthetic turpentine or mineral spirits. For ballpoint pen marks, cover the area with a white rag soaked in hydrogen peroxide for at least 30 minutes. For felt-tip marks, cover the area with a rag soaked in mineral spirits instead. "Remove substances such as oil paint, shoe heel marks, ink, tar, crayon, grease, shoe polish, ointment and cosmetics with synthetic turpentine or mineral spirits," suggests doityourself.com. "Use hydrogen peroxide bleach treatment if necessary."

8. Remove chewing gum by hardening it with ice first, then chipping it off. Remove gum residue with synthetic turpentine or mineral spirits.

Tips & Warnings

• Use turpentine or mineral spirits only in well-ventilated areas. Do not breathe in the fumes or get the chemicals on your skin. Both are also flammable. Do not use anything that could scratch the vinyl like a stiff brush, a rough-sided sponge or steel wool.

References

• Cleaning Vinyl FAQs