List of cleaning products

[Elisto]

I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while and finally decided to put together a comprehensive list of cleaning products that have been tried on ponies and how effective they are. This is not a list of problems or how to use these products or techniques, just a list of what has been tried. I hope anyone who has something to add (positive or negative) would be willing to contribute, and I’ll add it to the list (A wiki might make more sense, but eh, I don’t know how to do that). Or any suggestions to improve this would be great too.

If anyone likes the idea of this, please feel free to share this list where ever you want. Or if someone want to turn this into a wiki or anything like that, that’s fine too. I don’t have any plans to put it anywhere but here at the moment.

Products/techniques in are in alphabetical order. This is not an endorsement of any particular product, just reports of what has been experienced. With any cleaning product, be careful with any “special” pony materials like color changing hair or paint, tinsel, metallic finishes, etc., whether they’re mentioned in the “negatives” or not, and be aware that most products can cause damage if left on the pony for extended periods of time.

Acetone, 100%: removes: most paint, ink, white out, adhesive, some stains; negatives: removes eye/symbol/blush paint, flocking, can damage surface of pony if left soaking in it

Armor-all: makes hair and body plastic shiny and smooth; negatives: bonds with plastic – long term effects unknown
 
Bleach: removes: stains from So Soft flocking; negatives: can remove flocking, doesn’t seem to affect body color/discoloration short-term

Clorox Wipes: removes: surface dirt, mold; negatives: ??

Conditioner: improves dry hair and makes less frizzy

Denture tablets: removes: mold, rust, other “gunk” inside ponies; negatives: effects on outside of pony unknown

Dryer sheets: removes: bad odors; negatives: ??

Fabric softener: improves dry hair and makes less frizzy

Goof-Off: removes: adhesive/flocking with scraping(for deflocking), ink, marker; negatives: removes eyes, symbols, etc. if not wiped off quickly

Goof-Off – low VOC: removes: ink, marker; negatives: can remove eyes, symbols, etc., if not wiped off quickly

Magic Eraser: removes: literally an eraser – can remove most surface dirt; negatives: excessive scrubbing can potentially damage paint, glitter, etc.

Nail polish remover (acetone or acetone free): usually too dilute to remove most paint, but can be somewhat effective; negatives: can smudge symbols, eyes, etc

Oxyclean: removes: hard-to-remove surface dirt, mold, some stains, leaked plasticizer, flocking (for deflocking); negatives: removes metallic paint (Princess Pony medallions) and metallic finish on fabrics, Twinkle Eye iridescence, flocking, sometimes glitter, potentially others; with hot water – can remove flocking, cause chartreuse hair to bleed and stain, and damage color-changing hair (Sunshine Ponies) and color changing paint (Magic Message Ponies)

Paint thinner: removes paint somewhat, not as good as acetone; can damage surface of body if pony left soaking in it

Peroxide crème (for bleaching human hair): removes: slowly – discoloring from hard plastics (like playsets/buildings); negatives: ?? Not effective on ponies?

Peroxide – Hydrogen (no sun): removes: slowly – pindot, some hard-to-remove surface dirt, some stains, kills mold, possibly removes bad scents/smells; very slowly – yellowing/discoloration; negatives: dries out hair, loosens/removes flocking

Peroxide + Sunfading: UV light breaks down peroxide faster than normal, so results and negatives the same as sunfading or peroxide, but faster. Can also be used to fade discoloring on hard plastics like playsets/buildings

Removezit: removes: stains, discoloration; negatives: can cause discoloration, especially long term, seems to stay in the plastic

Rubbing alcohol: removes: surface dirt, wax-based pencil or crayon, some ink, some adhesives, kills mold, leaked plasticizer, probably odors; negatives: removes paint on Dream Beauties (but usually safe on most regular ponies’ paint)

Sandpaper: removes: some surface discoloring on Dream Beauties; negative: scratches, especially if not fine enough grit, removes or damages eyes, symbols, etc.

Soap/shampoo and water: removes: loose surface dirt, dirt in hair; negatives:  boiling or hot water can remove flocking, cause chartreuse hair to bleed and stain, damage color-changing hair (Sunshine Ponies) and color changing paint (Magic Message Ponies)

Sodium bicarbonate/baking soda: removes: harder-to-remove dirt, mold, rust, oil, some stains, etc., bad odors; negatives: can dry out hair, discolor body if left in contact for an extended period of time?

Sodium carbonate/washing soda: removes: similar to baking soda, but stronger; negatives: more caustic than baking soda, can dry out hair, discolor body if left in contact for an extended period of time?

Soft Scrub: removes: surface dirt, rust fades inground dirt, ink, marker, some discoloration; negatives: can remove glitter is not gentle.

Sunfading (UV light): removes: stains, pigments, general discoloration from body and hair; negatives: can discolor or “sunburn” some ponies (especially Starshine and Gingerbread), fades uncovered pigments in eyes, blush, symbols, hair (especially red/pink; “fading pink” AKA “pussycat” hair color especially susceptible), can fade body color after a while, dries out hair, discolors hard plastics (like playsets/buildings)

Tilex: removes: fades some brown/cancer spots; negatives: ??

Toothpaste: removes: harder-to-remove dirt, mold, rust, oil, some stains, etc. from body, hair, and flocking; negatives: dries out hair

Vinegar: removes: bad odors; negatives: can set stains, especially rust stains

Vodka: removes: bad odors, probably otherwise the same as rubbing alcohol

[rybett]

I dropped a couple of denture cleaning tablets into a pony with tons of gunk in her feet.  I think it was Firefly.  Worked great.

[Rachel-Eyes]

This is a great thread! Rybett- I will have to try that! I find that some pony poses with bent legs make it difficult to get into the bottoms of the feet sometimes.

We should probably add that directly setting baking soda over the outside of the plastic can cause discoloration.

[butterflybuttons]

Great list!!

If you don't mind, I'd love to add it to the cleaning sticky.

[teresat]

Great thread!

Another great cleaning tool I've used is Chlorox wipes for quick cleaning jobs.

Edit also, Soft Scrub and Low VOC Goof Off.

[Rachel-Eyes]

Oooh, and perhaps we should mention something about dryer sheets? Stuffing them inside of a pony can help desensitize smells, but you have to be careful because some people can be allergic to certain brands.

Other things I have heard of that are supposed to kill smells are kitty litter and vodka. I don't have a cat so I have no access to kitty litter, but I have some cheap vodka that I'm never going to drink so I intend to test it out the next time I get a stinky pony.

[BrightIdea]

That is a great idea for a list, Elisto. I like the "negatives" parts the best.

 Maybe beside the soap/water say don't immerse or wash Magic Message ponies' symbols.

[Sugar]

Elisto, this is a wonderful resource!  And great idea, too.

[Elisto]

Sure, you can sticky this.

OK, so I'll add Soft Scrub*, low VOC Goof-off*, vodka, dryer sheets, denture tablets*, clorox wipes* (and bleach, which I forgot before). Can anyone who's used them tell me a bit about what the ones with starts removed and negative effects they found?

Rachel-eyes (or anyone who can answer this), for the baking soda, I've only used it a little, so I haven't been able to determine much about it...can you tell me how quickly it causes discoloration or anything else like that? Is it still a problem if it's dissolved in water, if it's a paste, if it's left on it for an extended period of time, etc?

One other question...how should I order this list? I originally was going to group each thing by "surface dirt", "stains/discoloration", "hair", "odor", etc, but since a number of these do multiple things, should I just put it in alphabetical order so it's easier to search the list? Cleaning strength seems kind of hard to determine. Or any other suggestions?

[Rachel-Eyes]

Rachel-eyes (or anyone who can answer this), for the baking soda, I've only used it a little, so I haven't been able to determine much about it...can you tell me how quickly it causes discoloration or anything else like that? Is it still a problem if it's dissolved in water, if it's a paste, if it's left on it for an extended period of time, etc?

I've only used baking soda on one pony, a fakie of a Remco fakie, and I was still very new to ponies. She had a mold problem and I couldn't save the tail, so I tried to kill the mold by just packing the baking soda inside and letting it sit for a while. After that, I cleaned it out by using some water and when it made a paste, I scrubbed a bit. So far, I haven't seen any problems with the mold again, so I'm assuming it worked in that respect.

I actually haven't seen much of a problem with her colors yet and I don't know if this is because she was a fakie or because the baking soda was inside of her, and not really touching the other plastic. But I do remember a thread a few months ago about de-stinking some ponies, and a person suggested a layer of baking soda around the bottom of a plastic container and locking the pony inside for a few days. BUT the disclaimer was to line it with a paper towel or a piece of cloth to protect the pony from discoloring, which was the first I had heard of such a problem.

(I ended up trying that method and it worked a little, but my ponies were REALLY smokey. After a few months, I took them out and let them air out. The next day they smelled fine.)

I guess the discoloration could be a myth, but I always just assumed it was common knowledge within the community. Either way, I never wanted to risk it.

[Sugar]

Hi, Elisto!

I just used Goof-Off yesterday.  So far as I can tell, it's aces at removing glue and flocking from ponies when used in conjunction with some sort of scraper - I used wooden coffee stir stix, but I remember reading about someone delicatly using an Xacto knife (unless I'm misremembering).  Some got on her symbol, but it didn't smear off - mind, I was carefull to rinse that off straightaway.  About the only down sides I can see to it is that it kinda smells (less than paint thinner, more like old felt markers) and it may cause irittation to somepony with more sensitive skin than me.  I'm like old boot leather, so hey...

Hope that helps!

[butterflybuttons]

Bleach will remove flocking from SS ponies. Oxy clean in cold water is better for so softs, or toothpaste with a soft toothbrush, or your finger.

[teresat]

I have more time to type in experiences with the various cleaning products I suggested.

The Soft Scrub was good for a little fading of some ground in dirt, pen, and marker. The Low VOC Goof Off is a milder form of Goof Off (California doesn't allow anything else.) It's not as strong as the Regular Goof Off but it will not take off cutie marks and eyes if it's wiped off quickly. Again, this is good for a little fading of pen and marker.

I forgot about the bleach! I used Soft Scrub and Tilex on a white pony (I used a Q-tip to apply the Tilex) to fade brown mold/cancer spots. Not perfect but definitely made an impact and the spots were not as noticeable.

I like alphabetical order for the cleaning agents. They do have multiple uses.

I think any cleaning agent left on the pony too long will cause damage. 

Thanks for doing this!

[Elisto]

Sure!

OK, updated again, changed to ABC order.

[hathorcat]

Great idea Elisto! And I love the fact you are including the negative as well as the positive so people are aware of all the potential benefits as well as what they need to be careful about!