Suggestions? Cleaning stained PVC gourds

[-=DKC=-]

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]

bleach vinegar and dawn

[-=DKC=-]

bleach vinegar and dawn

Thanks for the reply, pmlover.

All mixed together or one after the other?

[sssSMOKING]

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

[Forum Admin]

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=-]

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

Thanks, sssSMOKING. A good idea.

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]

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=-]

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]

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]

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]

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=-]

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.

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.

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=-]

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 10384 times

[Spiderman]

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=-]

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".