Ornament Yellowing

[nicki]

Jim recently emailed us with a common problem on the older ornaments:

[glow=red,2,300]Hello Folks,
Hallmark suggested that I contact you folks.
Do you know of any way to remove yellowing from older Hallmark ornaments?
I have a 1979 Here Comes Santa with significant yellowing. [/glow]

My reply...
I'm afraid we know of no way to remove the yellowing. That yellowing seems to be embedded in the plastic and there just isn't a way that we know of (& we've tried many) to bleach or lift it out of that plastic. Sorry I don't have better news. Nicki

[KCCPursuit]

Although I can not offer any solution to reversing the yellowing, I can tell you that wrapping ornaments in tissue or paper that isn't acid free will cause them to yellow.

[diana]

I'd check to make sure you simply don't have yellow nicotine residue on your ornament. Ornaments from smoke-filled homes sometimes can be cleaned up a bit with simple soap and water. Rinse really well, you don't want to leave any soap behind.

If that doesn't brighten up your ornament, then it is probably aging of the plastic, which as stated above, can't be reversed.

The thing that accelerates the yellowing process the most is direct sunlight. So you'll want to make sure your ornaments are safely covered up and out of the light when they aren't on display.

On the other hand, what's wrong with looking your age? Sometimes a bit of yellowing just shows how loved and cherished your ornament has been for years in your home.

[jazzman]

Hello Everybocy

I don't have any suggestions about ornament yellowing, however I do have a question about how to repair ornaments that have broken. Because of the different type of materials used, I have found it difficult to know which type of adhesives to use. Any suggestions?

jazzman

[nicki]

Hi Diana...welcome to the Forum,
Thank you for your comments on the Yellowing. I agree, although acid in tissue can cause yellowing, I have found that direct sunlight is the main culprit.
And, you are correct, if the ornament is simply dirty, be it from nicotine residue or just being displayed for a long time...a bubble bath with a good rinse will clean it nicely.

TO JAZZMAN, I will start a new thread on your question about ornament repair. That is a question we are often asked and I'm sure that not only I, but other viewers of this board will have some great tips and tricks on that topic!

[Ginny]

Has anyone found a solution for the "yellowing" of the white 4-foot Frostlight Faeries tree? Mine is stored in my basement and covered when not in use upstairs; IOW not exposed to sunlight, and I was amazed at the change in it when I got it out last month to use as my Easter tree.

[Rhonda]

Hmmm, Ok I'll admit it - this was the tree that I had in my bedroom at Christmas - I just took it back to the attic last night. (Let's pretend it's not mid March)

I have to say that mine does not appear to have yellowed. It is stored out of direct sunlight and has not been stored in it's original corrugated box in a few years. Wonder if that would have anything to do with it?

ginny said:

Has anyone found a solution for the "yellowing" of the white 4-foot Frostlight Faeries tree? Mine is stored in my basement and covered when not in use upstairs; IOW not exposed to sunlight, and I was amazed at the change in it when I got it out last month to use as my Easter tree.

[kccpursuit]

I doubt that the box this tree came in was made from acid free paper as such the box may be responsible for the premature yellowing. To prevent the tree from yellowing any more place it in a plastic bag before returning it to its box.

[Humpdiddly]

Has anyone ever tried those new Teeth Whiting light pens to see if changes the color back to white?

[nicki]

ginny said:

Has anyone found a solution for the "yellowing" of the white 4-foot Frostlight Faeries tree? Mine is stored in my basement and covered when not in use upstairs; IOW not exposed to sunlight, and I was amazed at the change in it when I got it out last month to use as my Easter tree.

Hi Ginny,
I too would guess the yellowing was caused by some kind of chemical reaction, the chemicals in the plastic materials the tree is made of vs the chemicals in whatever you had it in or covered with....who knows???

I guess I would look at it as a chance to get creative. Grab some white (or lavender, pink) spray paint & give it several very light coats, and then top it off with some glitter spray. Who knows...may look better than ever when you're finished! Let us know if you decide to "fix 'er up" and the results! Good luck! Nicki

[nicki]

Humpdiddly said:

Has anyone ever tried those new Teeth Whiting light pens to see if changes the color back to white?

Hi Humpdiddly, welcome to the forum.
Interesting idea!
Have never tried that or any of the "tooth whitening" chemicals out there. Hummmmm....might be worth a shot!

[Ginny]

kccpursuit said:

I doubt that the box this tree came in was made from acid free paper as such the box may be responsible for the premature yellowing. To prevent the tree from yellowing any more place it in a plastic bag before returning it to its box.

I have never kept mine in the box; not sure even if I had or saved the box when I brought it home from the store. Like I said, it's been covered with a plastic bag and away from sunlight.

I just might have to try spray painting it one of these springs before I set it up for Easter again.

[diana]

Ginny, was it stored somewhere warm? That's another culprit of yellowing with some plastics/manmade materials. Also, some materials get yellow or brown from certain cleaning formulas (a chemical reaction) - a friend's convertible plastic car window went from clear but dusty to clean but orangey brown (and difficult to see through) within 24 hours after she sprayed a cleaner on it.

I bought three of the Frostlight Faery trees but only put up one the first year. It was really frustrating to see it so very yellow the second year.

Also, the Faeries wings yellowed really badly, too. Especially where they had glue on them. All in all I was pretty disappointed with the investment I made in that collection due to the poor aging. Which is really a shame since the sculpts are all very beautiful.

[Ginny]

No, stored in my basement which is cool and not damp. I have 2 of these trees. One is worse than the other. I realize the yellowing problem was a common one for these trees.