Weird restoration methods I've overheard

[Shabi]

So I've been talking a lot to little girls who collect G4 MLP in Russia and I've heard about some weird restoration ideas from them. I'd like to know if it's safe both for humans and ponies.
First method was to clean a pony with a toothpaste that has whitening effect. It only works on yellowing and maybe small dirt. I've tried this on my bait g4 blindbags and it works magic! Can I do this on ponies from other generations? Does it work on them?
The second method was a mix of bleach and vinegar. I'm pretty sure it's VERY poisonous to touch, breath and be generally exposed to. That's why they all wore some sort of masks and gloves. One girl cleaned a Rainbow Dash with terrible sharpie marks. It looked even better than out of box when she finished. She said it removes paint so be careful. How safe is this method for ponies? Since it's obviously very dangerous for people I bet it can damage ponies as well. I can't try it on bait g1s since I've yet to see one in my city.

[TwistedRiver]

I've used toothpaste before on ponies and haven't had too many issues so far but please avoid the second method like the plague. Bleach and ponies do not mix and in my opinion should never exist in the same space.
Also keep in mind what works on G4s and does not seem to do damage still might not be the best thing to use on G1s. There's no telling what long term effects it might have on G4s, let alone ponies who's plastic is not only a different material but is also 30+ years old.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I've used toothpaste before on ponies and haven't had too many issues so far but please avoid the second method like the plague.

This! I think toothpaste is fine to use as a gentle abrasive but some types might contain peroxide, which I would avoid.

I like to use toothpaste to clean grubby hair sometimes.

[TwistedRiver]

Yes! It's great for cleaning up things like tail rust and sometimes rust on BBEs.

[pinkkittywinks]

Toothpaste is good for cleaning a lot of things!

I think the scariest combination I heard of was someone mixing pure acetone with bleach...... don't do it!!!!!

Love pkw xxx

[Shy Violet]

Tooth paste works great! I've mostly used it for their inside if they had rust but tried it on the outside of a few very dirty G1's that weren't getting clean from dish soap and it worked great.

I would not try bleach. Personally I don't even have bleach in my house, I don't use it for cleaning anything.

[Shabi]

I've tried toothpaste on common baity g4s so I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens. I'll use the other method too and report if there would be any damage to the pony. I have an almost hairless g4 Rarity who's covered in unknown pink and grey dirt. I don't think she'll be missed if something happens to her. (Poor baby will become a custom anyway). I won't be using that method on rare ponies! So don't worry.

[lunar_scythe]

Keep in mind that even if a method works and doesn't appear to cause damage, does NOT make it safe to use.

A cream called Removezit was considered a safe way to remove marks for *years* before the damage began to appear; ponies began to turn white or yellow on the spots where it was used, no matter how often and carefully they were cleaned afterward. It was used on many common, and even rare G1s, like the alt Birthflower pony I had who had white on half her face and her shoulder... personally, I wouldnt use any toothpaste with a whitening agent in it due to this kind of thing.

Remember, some chemicals never stop working, and could continue to work even through paint (like on a custom).  Depending on the kind of stuff you mix, you could poison yourself, too, so be careful!  You could melt the pony, too.

[Mewtwofan1]

WHY WOULD YOU MIX BLEACH AND VINEGAR?! I'm sorry, but have these girls passed a grade ten science course? Bleach, known as sodium hypochlorite and vinegar, acetic acid, made of carbon,hydrogen and oxygen. The form a reaction that kicks the chlorine out of the compound, releasing harmful chlorine gas. You Should never breathe pure chlorine gas. A few puffs and your dead. Please, next time you see these girls, try to get them to stop. Chlorine is a halogen. A very, very reactive little element on the periodic table, hence why you can never find pure chlorine on earth. It makes violent and explosive reactions on its own.

[lostpony]

Well! Mewtofan, I had no idea you were so knowledgeable.

I do know that mixing any base and any acid causes exciting things to happen, and those girls and you should not be doing any such things!  The classic is bleach and ammonia that creates cyanide gas and kills people.  I don't know the reaction but I do know mixing bleach with acids is BAD.

I played around with bleach on ponies too before being cautioned and I don't know if you have a product called "oxy clean" in Russia but it works great and everyone seems to agree it's safe.  It's mostly borax but has some other secret ingredients too.

Best thing on tough to clean ponies is cleanser...unbleached, uncolored cleanser like good old fashioned Bon Ami (also not sure if you have such a brand there).  It's mild and finely abrasive and can scrub through whatever is caked on them just fine, using a toothbrush or your finger.  There is also a fine abrasive solid called Magic Eraser for ground-in dirt like on the ears, again you might not have it available there and I didn't try it personally... 

For rust, use undiluted laundry detergent.  Good and strong enough to de-rust BBE eyes as well as tails, just give the rusty parts a good soak and go at it with a toothbrush.

If you'd like more specific instructions please ask and many will give their recipes and methods but there's no need to be getting killed with mad scientist bleach formulas.  I know, it's tempting and I screwed around with them too but the most important thing here is that other things work better anyway so there is really nothing to be gained.

[Leave a Whisper]

WHY WOULD YOU MIX BLEACH AND VINEGAR?! I'm sorry, but have these girls passed a grade ten science course? Bleach, known as sodium hypochlorite and vinegar, acetic acid, made of carbon,hydrogen and oxygen. The form a reaction that kicks the chlorine out of the compound, releasing harmful chlorine gas. You Should never breathe pure chlorine gas. A few puffs and your dead. Please, next time you see these girls, try to get them to stop. Chlorine is a halogen. A very, very reactive little element on the periodic table, hence why you can never find pure chlorine on earth. It makes violent and explosive reactions on its own.

That's scary! 

[lostpony]

Oh and I wanted to thank you for the great answer you gave to my question about the Russian translations.  I haven't remembered what thread that was to go back there and say thanks so, Thanks!

Post Merge: March 28, 2017, 10:31:59 PM

WHY WOULD YOU MIX BLEACH AND VINEGAR?! I'm sorry, but have these girls passed a grade ten science course? Bleach, known as sodium hypochlorite and vinegar, acetic acid, made of carbon,hydrogen and oxygen. The form a reaction that kicks the chlorine out of the compound, releasing harmful chlorine gas. You Should never breathe pure chlorine gas. A few puffs and your dead. Please, next time you see these girls, try to get them to stop. Chlorine is a halogen. A very, very reactive little element on the periodic table, hence why you can never find pure chlorine on earth. It makes violent and explosive reactions on its own.

That's scary! 

Wait a minute, she said "Halo" so it must be fun

[Mewtwofan1]

Well! Mewtofan, I had no idea you were so knowledgeable.

I do know that mixing any base and any acid causes exciting things to happen, and those girls and you should not be doing any such things!  The classic is bleach and ammonia that creates cyanide gas and kills people.  I don't know the reaction but I do know mixing bleach with acids is BAD.

Well, I didn't  know the answer, so I googled it. After reading enough articles, that was my colclusion. And I just love the periodic table, so I happen to remember a ton of stuff from it. If any of y'all are interested, go to asap science and find the periodic table song. Seriously. That song saved my butt on so many tests. And yes, I do agree that they shouldn't be mixing those together.

However, there are some base and acid reactions they can, and I encourage them to observe. The classic baking soda and vinegar experiment. It demonstrates what happens in their bleach and vinegar experiment, but is much safer, provided you don't put it in a small container. Unlike the first reaction, this one produces carbon dioxide gas. The gas is harmless, provided there is enough oxygen in the room. It's quite fascinating indeed. But you shouldn't put it in a small container that won't expand. Gas has a large amount of empty space between particles. These particles need room to bounce around or else the pressure builds up. And pop! This is why rockets,explosives and helium tanks also work. If they wish to do science, please make sure they do safe science. And always wear your safety goggles on your eyes!

[lostpony]

I'm not sure mixing terrible reactions for cleaning purposes is science...

One kinda bad well-known acid/base reaction is pouring baking soda dissolved in water on the gunk that builds up on your car battery terminals....that's recommended to clean and neutralize to prevent the gunk but, it's not a good idea when there is a lot of gunk already there because the reaction will in such cases eat away the metal as well and leave you with a badly deteriorated terminal, when you could have just scraped most of it away first.

Point being, lots of remedies are recommended and theoretically "safe", but if applied without common sense or understanding, destruction great or small can be the result especially when the reaction products include deadly gas.

[Mewtwofan1]

But it's still science. The chemical reaction is science. Even though it's pretty irresponsible science. Almost as bad as drunken science. That we never will speak of again...
And looking at this, I can find two, possibly three baisic lab code of conduct violations at first glance. Sorry for going all nerd on this, but I am concerned. A lack of regard for safety, a lack of proper equipment and knowledge, in addition to possibly doing these reactions without a partner or supervision. You never science alone! Never! A partner, in addition to also observing the magic of learning, can help when things in the lab get ugly. Glassware breaks, spills happen. Heck, you could simply faint in the middle of it all. And a lab partner is going to help you to keep it running smoothly and safer. Remember, safety is number one priority!