Suggestions? Cleaning stained PVC gourds

-=DKC=- · Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:35 pm

Hello everyone.

I'm ready to start prepping for this season, but first I would like to clean the outside of my gourds.

Last year I took down my gourds and placed them under a Pecan tree until I could get around to cleaning them out. Well, it rained and the white PVC gourds were stained with what I assume is a reddish tannin from the Pecan tree.

I was thinking of maybe trying bleach or white vinegar. Has anyone here successfully cleaned stained gourds before?

-=DKC=-

pmlover · Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:51 pm

bleach vinegar and dawn

-=DKC=- · Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:53 pm

pmlover wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:51 pm
bleach vinegar and dawn

Thanks for the reply, pmlover.

All mixed together or one after the other?

sssSMOKING · Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:15 pm

Give Mr Clean Magic Eraser a try.
They are amazing!!!!!!

Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:22 am

bleach vinegar and dawn
Thanks for the reply, pmlover.

All mixed together or one after the other?

Don't mix bleach and vinegar together—vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits and kill types of fungus/mold but when you combine bleach and vinegar together it creates chlorine gas which is extremely toxic.

You can try each of the suggestions—bleach, magic eraser or vinegar—just make sure to rinse off the gourds between each application.

-=DKC=- · Wed Jan 09, 2019 12:04 pm

sssSMOKING wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:15 pm
Give Mr Clean Magic Eraser a try.
They are amazing!!!!!!

Thanks, sssSMOKING. A good idea.

Forum Admin wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:22 am
Don't mix bleach and vinegar together—vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits and kill types of fungus/mold but when you combine bleach and vinegar together it creates chlorine gas which is extremely toxic.

You can try each of the suggestions—bleach, magic eraser or vinegar—just make sure to rinse off the gourds between each application.

Thank you. I think I will try each suggestion separately as an experiment for future reference.

maxxwlf · Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:22 pm

I use a plastic scrubbing pad to get off as much of the dirt and the stains as possible...then I place them in the dishwasher with a teaspoon of powdered bleach and run them through a cycle. If the stains don't disappear after that, then they're not going to!

-=DKC=- · Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:28 am

maxxwlf wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:22 pm
I use a plastic scrubbing pad to get off as much of the dirt and the stains as possible...then I place them in the dishwasher with a teaspoon of powdered bleach and run them through a cycle. If the stains don't disappear after that, then they're not going to!

Thanks, maxxwlf. Sadly I don't have a dishwasher.

steve r · Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:23 pm

I just cleaned 16 of my gourds using Purple Power. I sprayed it on neat waited a while then washed it of with the hose. Some of them took a couple of spraying storm get them clean.

bootjack farm · Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:21 am

DKC, as an alternative you could consider spray painting. I believe the gourds are actually polyethylene. Earlier posts indicated that Krylon Fusion paint worked well but I haven't used myself.

Dflowe · Tue Jan 15, 2019 6:58 pm

I clean mine with a 50/50% bleach/water mix and 2 ounces on Dawn dish washing liquid per gallon. I just cleaned mine with that mixture and they're white as new.

-=DKC=- · Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:14 am

steve r wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:23 pm
I just cleaned 16 of my gourds using Purple Power. I sprayed it on neat waited a while then washed it of with the hose. Some of them took a couple of spraying storm get them clean.

bootjack farm wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:21 am
DKC, as an alternative you could consider spray painting. I believe the gourds are actually polyethylene. Earlier posts indicated that Krylon Fusion paint worked well but I haven't used myself.

Dflowe wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 15, 2019 6:58 pm
I clean mine with a 50/50% bleach/water mix and 2 ounces on Dawn dish washing liquid per gallon. I just cleaned mine with that mixture and they're white as new.

Thank you for the suggestions. I'm planning to experiment with these methods this weekend and hopefully get everything set up and ready to go.

-=DKC=- · Wed Jan 23, 2019 1:31 pm

So I tried most of the suggestions with varying amounts of success. The mixture that seemed to work best for tree tannin staining, with the least amount of effort, was bleach, water & baking soda.

I mixed the baking soda in to make a thin paste which held the bleach in place over the stained portions a bit longer. I applied the mixture, let it sit for a few minutes and repeated until I was satisfied with the results.

Here's a "before & after" pic of one of the gourds with the worst stains. I think that with a little more time and effort they could have been completely stain free but I can live with these results.

Thanks everyone.

: gourd_cleaning.jpg (59.85 KiB) Viewed 10370 times

Spiderman · Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:44 am

I use a cup of bleach to a gallon of water, a little liquid dish soap and let them soak.

Pecan tree probably produces the toughest stains of all. Let them soak 30 minutes and see if that helps.

Well the Good News is the Martins won't care about the staining.

-=DKC=- · Fri Jan 25, 2019 11:22 am

Spiderman wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:44 am
I use a cup of bleach to a gallon of water, a little liquid dish soap and let them soak.

Pecan tree probably produces the toughest stains of all. Let them soak 30 minutes and see if that helps.

Well the Good News is the Martins won't care about the staining.

Thanks Spiderman. I may try soaking next year.

I mainly wanted to clean the gourds so my neighbors don't think my Martins are "dirty".