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I think you are going to enjoy this easy tutorial on how to clean and shine plastic surfaces like car mats or trash cans!

This is the method I have used for many years to make plastic surfaces around my house look clean and shiny.

Plastic can be tricky because when it gets older or dull, it quickly looses the shine. It can make it look dirty all the time!

A big example are my weather tech car mats. I love them, and they have been the best thing for my SUV. However, they look very dirty all the time because they are just so dull.

I have cleaned them with many things, but I really wanted them to shine like new again.

Here is my cleaning hack for shining plastic surfaces, and it cleans them too.

How To Clean and Shine Plastic Surfaces Like Car Mats or Trash Cans

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Ingredients:

• Murphy Oil Soap (I buy it here from Amazon)
• Scrub Brush or course sponge
• Hose with spray nozzle or bucket of water to rinse
• Alternative method: damp microfiber to wipe off ***

Directions:

1.  Take your Murphy Oil Soap and apply some to the surface. For the car mat, I just poured some on. For this tutorial, no dilution is needed. Read below for alternative applications.
2.  After the soap has been poured, take a scrub brush and scrub surface well in a circular motion. You can also use a sponge.
3.  With a spray nozzle, rinse surface well. You can also just rinse with a bucket of water if more convenient.

Alternative directions to shine plastic surfaces like blinds or trash cans:

1. Apply Murphy Oil Soap directly to a towel, I prefer microfiber cloth for this.
2. Rub the plastic surface, making sure to coat everything well.
3. Now use the other side of the cloth to buff it out.

Using this method cleans the plastic surface AND shines it. No rinsing needed with dry application like this. I love this method for plastic blinds, trash cans, plastic containers, outdoor plastic furniture, or anything else plastic inside and outside the home.

When it comes to doing the outdoor surfaces like car mats, a sponge or scrub brush is really great to get into the divots of the plastic.

The neat thing about Murphy Oil Soap is it will really start to foam if you scrub it a lot. This is why it cleans so well.

Here are some pictures of this when I was cleaning my weather tech mats.

After rinsing, it is just clean and shiny!

What If I Don’t Want It To Form Suds or Foam?

Using the microfiber method like I did with the trash can simply wipes and buffs it off. It does not have to foam or produce suds 🙂 This is why I love using the Murphy Oil so much for this type of cleaning. It is so effective!

Why Does Murphy Oil Soap Work So Well On Plastic?

This product has some great chemistry going on behind the scenes. It is one of the reasons why it has so many uses!

I think it is fascinating this product was created in 1910. Talk about trusted science for a product to be around that long and still be one of the best things you can use.

One of the key components in this is sodium tallate. Sodium Tallate is the salt of Tall Oil Acid which is the byproduct of wood pulp. It is common in both cleaning and cosmetic uses for reducing surface tensions and helping water mix with dirt and oil. It is a fatty-acid giving it the oil based properties. While it is a popular choice for cleaning wood, I have found it to be great for cleaning plastic surfaces as well. The oil based properties also give it that shine!

You can read more about the ingredients and uses in this post we did many years ago.

Can You Use Any Type of Murphy Oil Soap Product For This Cleaning Hack?

This brand has several options for products they make, but I recommend sticking with this original formula for cleaning plastic. This is the kind I have always used and will be what we are using for any blog post talking about Murphy Oil Soap.

Other Blog Posts Using Murphy Oil Soap?

We have some other great ideas using this soap. If you buy a bottle for this, try it for some other great things:

• DIY Insecticidal Spray
• The Best Dusting Hacks
• Dozens of Uses Found Here

I think you are going to enjoy this cleaning tip for shining plastic surfaces!

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