Care for PVC items

[cagoulion]

It might seem a silly question, but is there a reaosn why some PVC seems to dry out and become pretty dry and brittly? I have a hell of a lot of raincoats and some seem to suffer a bit from damp in a way that other materials don't. some of my older PVC looks a bit miserable now (I have some items which are over twenty years old I know) but I wouldn't like to knacker my PVC. Some of my favourite black PVC raincoats looks like they need washed with something and less shiny too. Anybody got any ideas?

I'm not the best storer of items due to the niumber i have but I haven't got a lot of space to keep them in.

Regards

Cag

[Hugo]

PVC is a very chemical product. It is softened by some additives, coloured by others, hardened against UV radiation (sunlight) by other additives again, and, I really wonder, there might even be additives to keep the other additives inside the PVC. Some of these additives evaporate over time and degrade the material.

So, what can you do? I am not an expert, but according to the internet, you should keep PVC dry and let it dry as soon as possible if it gets wet. Never use hot water, pure PVC starts to melt at 60°C (32°F) and softens before. Use water only, that is comfortably warm to your skin. Don't ever use detergents, use mild soaps without perfume. Remove all sweat and other stains soon, as they will leave spots otherwise.

If you store PVC clothes away, use some talcum powder to prevent the material from sticking to itself. Talcum powder is harmless to the human skin, can be removed easily from the PVC and it is cheap. Talcum powder seems to be safe for this use, manufacturers often use it. It is a mess though, be careful when applying it.

Also folding PVC is somewhat permanent, so try to use the original folds only. You can straighten the material by hanging it in your bathroom, while running the shower as hot as possible. The pvc will soften a little and gravity does the rest. Or hang it above (not over) a radiator (remember the melting point!). You can also try a cold iron, or a warm iron with a damp piece of cloth between iron and PVC, but be very careful with that.

Some people recommend silicone spray to make the PVC shine again. It probably works, but I have no idea if this degrades the material or not.

[cagoulion]

Thanks for your replay. It maybe that it is a dampness problem I have in some ways because I have some vintage PVC which is supple enough but it has what looks like a bit of spotting like mould. Is there any way to get rid of that?

[Hugo]

Vinegar kills mould pretty well, but I have never tried it on PVC. You should test it on a small area first. Apply some vinegar with a soft piece of cloth, let it dry, then remove it with water and soap. I think, PVC is not consumable by mould, but there might be some protein, skin particles or whatever which have caused the mould to settle down. Such matters should be removed as soon as possible, because they attack the pvc as well. Funny enough, PVC is a very stable material, but when worn by humans, it is in real danger.

[cagoulion]

Thanks very much Hugo, I'll try that and see how I get on. Thanks very much for your interesting explanation of how it degrades too. I'd like to bring back the three coats I have that are suffering, one is unbacked but the other two have heavy linings and are quite substantial coats.