smog7
smog7 Dork
7/1/14 10:06 p.m.

I ended up picking up a tail light from the junk yard. The plastic is crack free but it does have a fair amount of mud and mildew looking stuff inside the plastic.

Anyone care to share their magical tricks for removing this nasty stuff? Would soaking the light over night in a bucket filled up with water and dish soap do the trick? Will it do any harm?

HappyAndy
HappyAndy UltraDork
7/1/14 10:24 p.m.

I've successfully cleaned out some grungy tail lights and turn signals with warm soapy water , the spray nozzle in the kitchen sink, long q-tips and a long thin blow gun. They didn't all look perfect, but they all looked much better.

When I cleaned out the tail lights on my '70 falcon, they went from dangerously dim to surprisingly good.

petemc53555
petemc53555 New Reader
7/1/14 10:37 p.m.

Add a few small rounded pebbles and some water, swirl, shake, rinse, repeat.

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic UberDork
7/1/14 10:51 p.m.

This stuff right here, all you need.

smog7
smog7 Dork
7/1/14 11:05 p.m.

^what is that?

Kenny_McCormic
Kenny_McCormic UberDork
7/1/14 11:19 p.m.

It's Awesome

Ditchdigger
Ditchdigger UltraDork
7/1/14 11:28 p.m.

Trust me on this one

The HF 2.5 liter ultrasonic cleaner. It makes grungy old lenses look new. It will remove buildup that no scrub brush is small enough to touch. It will even clean inside cracks and make them almost disappear.

smog7
smog7 Dork
7/2/14 12:09 a.m.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: It's Awesome

Unicorn pee?

smog7
smog7 Dork
7/2/14 12:10 a.m.
Ditchdigger wrote: Trust me on this one The HF 2.5 liter ultrasonic cleaner. It makes grungy old lenses look new. It will remove buildup that no scrub brush is small enough to touch. It will even clean inside cracks and make them almost disappear.

Interesting.. Not sure if my giant tail light would fit.

How much do they run for?

Ditchdigger
Ditchdigger UltraDork
7/2/14 12:35 a.m.

http://m.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

Use a coupon from the website for 25% off

thestig99
thestig99 HalfDork
7/2/14 6:23 a.m.

Aren't coffee grounds supposed to be good for this sort of thing? Dump some in with soap and water, shake, rinse, repeat as necessary?

patgizz
patgizz GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
7/2/14 7:05 a.m.

bottle brush. like for cleaning baby bottles, through the bulb holes.

first i'd fill with water and dish soap, soak, and shake it up first as it all may come out.

fidelity101
fidelity101 Dork
7/2/14 7:17 a.m.

In reply to thestig99:

When we would clean our 'adult tobacco' pipes a mixture of hot water, rubber alcohol and sea salt would work. Just place the object in a bag with the mixed solution and shake a bunch of times and the salt acts as a scrubbing brush. After vigorous shaking you drain, rinse repeat until desired effect.

Chebbie_SB
Chebbie_SB Dork
7/2/14 7:17 a.m.

Try uncooked rice with cool water or water/ vinegar solution. Swish it around & the rice mildly scours the interior surfaces.

ebonyandivory
ebonyandivory Dork
7/2/14 7:55 a.m.

CLR and bottle brush. I'd imagine a handful of copper BB's gently rolled around insîde might help while filled up with CLR solution.

TeamEvil
TeamEvil HalfDork
7/2/14 11:33 a.m.

Just pop the bulb out of the holder in the rear of the housing, squirt in a reasonable amount of dish washing liquid, fill half way with warm water and use a bottle brush to scrub everything loose. Repeat and rinse. Easy Peasy ! !

Use some bleach. The plastic is acrylic and can't be harmed by soap and water. If you want the lens to look like brand new when you done, spray the outside with some Krylon Acrylic clear. As the spray is acrylic and the lens is as well, the bond will be almost molecular and it will appear as though it was just manufactured . . . . seriously PISSA ! !

smog7
smog7 Dork
7/2/14 11:44 p.m.

Ended up soaking the light in soapy water and cleaned the insides as best as I could with q tips. Had some weird looking brown goo/grease sticking to the inside lenses.

patgizz
patgizz GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
7/3/14 7:21 a.m.
smog7 wrote: Ended up soaking the light in soapy water and cleaned the insides as best as I could with q tips. Had some weird looking brown goo/grease sticking to the inside lenses.

flood car?

NGTD
NGTD SuperDork
7/3/14 7:59 a.m.

vinegar diluted with water

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
nDLleDtpguDRNG3PyQj9NHF9zCPgS8dB7bYjnkXowvLetfnV8w4wN4SGA1Gyrbvf