Our vinyl clad wire shelves have become very sticky, and we can't seem to clean them. I have tried lots of products, and even pressure washing to no avail. Do any of you have a solution? Thank you so much.
By Mary from Barefoot Bay, FL
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The rubbing alcohol did the trick. Years of dust, grime, even hair wiped right away. Thanks for the tip.
alcohol worked somewhat, but you have to apply liberally and rub every surface. With 6 foot wire rack shelving, that becomes impractical. It doesn't get it all off either.
I take them down and take out on driveway, smaller ones can be done in bath tub. Spray well with Awsome Cleaner (available in most dollar stores) lightly brush with a soft brush.
Vinyl-izer evaporates over the years, leaving whats left a sticky residue. Thats just the nature of vinyl
The sticky is the vinylizer evaporating, which it does after about a decade. I never found a chemical to remove it, so acrylic painted over it. Tedious, but fun
I would try straight ammonia, be sure to use a mask and gloves and rinse well. It sounds like a greasy buildup, and ammonia will cut through it.
Thanks! These re in bedroom closets, far away from any grease, so I don't know. The shelves are about 20 years old, and so far we've had to replace them as nothing seemed to get it.
I think they are cheap and that coating just breaks down. I've tried everything.
I've had that sticky residue problem, too. Mine are some I've never used, just stored. I'm beginning to think it's the heat during the winter that's causing it. I'll try some of these hints.
I have shelf dividers, covered with some kind of white plastic covering. They have become so sticky!!!
Maybe try WD-40 on an inconspicuous corner?
Use Goo Gone and a paper napkin. It's tedious but effective. All I did was spray a bit on the napkin and rub each wire. When I removed the shelf I even put it directly on the counter shelf and sprayed it.
Have you considered a spray sealer to give a new surface altogether? Krylon brand matt spray in clear or krylon spray flat paint in your color choice might do the trick.....I would try a small area first to be sire this works. D
I would try the magic eraser. it gets film off textured fridge handles, microwave keypads and stove keypads.
I've had sticky shelves for years. What works best is wiping down shelves with denatured alcohol that you can buy at Home Depot. I buy cosmetic cotton squares (for taking off makeup) and douse the center of one or two squares with denatured alcohol and wipe each (yes each) rung with the cotton square. I wear a double layer of disposable gloves. It doesn't smell bad, but it's best if the area is ventilated (fan) for I think it's a bit toxic.
I am cleaning a home built in 1987, I have never ran into this problem until now. I tried the clorox wipes nope they didn't work . So I grabbed the Rubbing Alcohol and a good sponge it worked perfect. A Little pressure but no more sticky shelves . I hope this helps.
Goo Gone & a paper towel is all you need. Takes about 30 minutes per shelf but cleans it up easily. And it smells good too.
This was very helpful, took me less time to clean.
I called the company and this is what they recommended. Said that humidity and age cause the stickiness. They also said I could replace the shelves. :(
Thanks for the idea! I washed my sticky vinyl shelf with soap and water and then used plain rubbing alcohol on an old washcloth and it completely removed the stickiness! In the past I have tried painting the vinyl and it wasn't completely successful. This worked great!
These shelves are a perfect example of love/hate. Thank you for the cleaning tips.
Lots of inquiries on this problem. I have tried may cleaners to no avail, Finally I just now used Spray "De-Solve-It" easy cleaning with paper towel and seems to the job quickly an easily. good luck!
...Lars
I used Lysol Dual Action wipes. The abrasiveness of the one side made short work of the job and it was not messy. Don't replace the shelving, they end up looking like new!
Another person with aging, sticky white wire shelves. I believe they are original to the house so 1995 or so. I'm pretty sure the stickiness is a product of the plastic coating being broken down over time. As it becomes stickier, dirt, lint, hair and all manner of gross household debris start sticking to it.
I tried everything I could think of, Clorox wipes, green scrubby pad, Barkeeper's Friend, Greased Lightning, and even brought out the big guns, Clorox Clean up with Bleach. My shelves got clean but were still sticky until I read here and tried rubbing alcohol. This was the solution! Don't know how long it will be until they start sticking up again, but glad I bought myself a little time on having to replace them.
Thank you, l tried everything. I moved into an older home and the shelving was gross, the only thing that worked was bathroom cleaner with bleach, it got them clean but still sticky. I had to use a lot of alcohol but it did help. I plan on using it weekly and hope for the best.
70% rubbing alcohol worked for me. Thanks for the tip!!!
Thank you all for the lead on rubbing alcohol to clean sticky rubber-coated wire shelves. I was desperate after dish soap didn't work, and I am very grateful that I did not have to try a dozen other useless cleaning compounds! THANK YOU!
One thing that works well is Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray on and leave for a few minutes, then rinse. Test it on a small area if the shelves are painted because it can remove some types of paint, but it cleans them really well with minimal work.
Still sticky after oven cleaner..
I have two very sticky 12 x 12 wire shelves, 8 in. high. I can't find this size to buy to replace them, so tried the rubbing alcohol. It works, but is slow. So, I cleaned just the legs, then wrapped black duct tape around the tops. Worked fine and the stickiness is all gone!
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