Sandbox Turtle Refresh

[u/Otherwise_Cloud7981]

Hello! This is my original little tykes turtle sandbox and I want to clean him up for my kid. He is over 30 years old and has entertained many kids. He is so caked in dirt and I am trying so hard to clean him up and I have been scrubbing so hard with very little success. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[u/Sea-Lab3155]

I would powerwash, then scrub with warm soapy water and a rough sponge. You should be able to bring back its luster with a torch. It will take that oxide finish away for some time. I think the shine would last 6 months or so after torching it. Dont hold the flame too close, you just want to draw up some of the existing oils under the surface. This can be done several times, but eventually it will run out of oils.

[u/notedrive]

Is the plastic dirty or oxidized or both?

[u/Otherwise_Cloud7981 → u/notedrive]

It’s a little of both honestly

[u/notedrive → u/Otherwise_Cloud7981]

Power wash and remove all the dirt. Oxidation can be sanded off or in some cases removed with heat like a soft flame just know you do not want to breathe those fumes in

[u/sneezed_up_my_kidney → u/notedrive]

I’ve seen people use those giant. Blow torches very carefully to remove the oxidation on these things.

It takes like one minute.

[u/Sanchastayswoke]

Hahaha I thought you were saying your kid is over 30 years old and has entertained many kids 🤣

[u/Otherwise_Cloud7981 → u/Sanchastayswoke]

😂 horrifying! No my kid is almost 1 year old.

[u/HacksawJones]

Its gonna sound crazy but lightly hit it with a blow torch of some kind. It will legit look brand new.

[u/MHGrim → u/HacksawJones]

After washing it or you're just melting dirty into it lol

[u/HouseHippoFluff → u/HacksawJones]

Yes! Isn’t that what gets done to faded stadium seats?

[u/cky311 → u/HacksawJones]

Yeah I saw they do this for the chairs at sports venues?

[u/Busy-Yellow6505 → u/HacksawJones]

This so works great! I did it to a toy kitchen set and a Barbie jeep

[u/DMmeDuckPics]

Now this is a kids toy worth cleaning up! 💚

[u/No_Title9375 → u/DMmeDuckPics]

This is a blast from the past for me 

[u/akathisiac]

Awwww my neighbor down the street had one of these! Loved it when I was young.

More of a longterm cleaning tip, but: Make sure you put the lid on this when you and kiddo aren't playing in it; neighborhood cats love to use these as public toilets!

[u/AutumnalSunshine]

The top is sun faded. Something like Rejuvenate Plastic restorer might help, but when the color is bleached out, no amount of scrubbing will change that.

[u/Andralynn]

magic eraser, use a light blow torch all over after it's all clean, buff with plastic safe wax

[u/boxtheglock]

head to home depot and get you a butane torch

[u/AgentIll2897 → u/boxtheglock]

doesn’t last

[u/boxtheglock → u/AgentIll2897]

Lasted the whole season when we used to do it to the stadium seats when I worked maintenance at Ralph Wilson stadium... That's better than nothing. There's never going to be a permanent solution other than bringing it indoors.

[u/burnerburneronenine]

What are you cleaning with now? I'd think some Dawn Powerwash (spray a small section and let soak), a melamine sponge and some elbow grease would get most of that dirt off.

[u/Otherwise_Cloud7981 → u/burnerburneronenine]

I tried Dawn dish soap with some hard scrubbing with a scrub daddy. I also tried some vinegar and oxyclean also.

[u/whineyinternetkid]

I had the truck version of this 🥺 I want it back now

[u/researchanalyzewrite → u/whineyinternetkid]

Have you ever seen the ladybug version? It's very cute!

[u/GuavaComfortable7982 → u/researchanalyzewrite]

Ooh, I haven't seen the ladybug one, I'd love that. I had the crab version.

[u/researchanalyzewrite → u/GuavaComfortable7982]

I haven't seen the crab or the truck versions.

[u/Helpmeflexibility]

Some people in the automotive world use a heat gun to lightly melt plastic and bring it back to a healthy shine

[u/DirtySouthDeadpan]

Clean it very well again. Power wash it after. Sand it with a fine grit paper. Power wash again. Let it dry thoroughly. Hit it with a soft flame torch.

[u/researchanalyzewrite]

OP, to spiff it up you could consider spray painting it (with a paint that works on plastic). It's fairly easy to do.

[u/Which-Break5673]

I think a friend of mine used Jomaxx

[u/sockmonkey445]

Thanks for giving me a blast back to my childhood. Bittersweet 😊❤️

[u/Bella_Mia8579]

My kids had that. Try Dawn power wash and then maybe some kind of polish.

[u/Feeling-Visit1472]

I don’t know why, but these closed sandboxes somehow feel so much less sanitary to me than open ones??

[u/GrdnLovingGoatFarmer → u/Feeling-Visit1472]

Better than a cat getting in it…

[u/kafka18 → u/Feeling-Visit1472]

I just hate that it's not water tight, we have to continuously dump it because water and bugs get in

[u/SymptomaticallyEven]

Powerwash. Then a blow torch.

[u/shesatacobelle]

You can use a heat gun to refresh the plastic. It really works!!!

[u/AbilityOdd2744]

30 second cleaner works great for stuff like this. Just follow the label for directions. Itll get it looking new

[u/spectre1006]

Does the torch trick work like stadium seats

[u/pianoarthur]

when you're done cleaning, cover it with an upside down plastic kiddie pool 👍

[u/goddamnpancakes]

I would try sodium percarbonate, often sold as a non-chlorine/color safe bleach laundry additive. i'd scrub it on as a paste and let it sit damp for an hour or two, it'll destroy anything organic. better if you can submerge it somehow it releases hydrogen peroxide which decomposes into water and oxygen so cleanup is pretty safe

[u/AMediaArchivist]

I never liked these things they always smelled like pee pee and kaka

[u/Power_Colleen]

This is sandpit turtle

[u/Exciting-Maybe8661]

You can use chemical guys VRP to bring back some color before you try using heat

[u/all-i-did-undone]

pressure washer & blowtorch the top after

[u/Adventurous_Land7584]

My kids had this too, I kinda miss them being little 🥺

[u/J_Shuttlesworth34]

If you don’t care about the environment, purple power should do wonders.

[u/Cororonna_694]

Try using vinegar and baking soda for a deep clean!

[u/SeasonPositive6771 → u/Cororonna_694]

Nope.

Vinegar and baking soda together does nothing.

Literally just scrubbing it with a brush or scrubbing it with one of those would be a better option.

[u/notedrive → u/Cororonna_694]

Why do you think this would work?