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Stains on worktop and sink

M

michael white

We bought a new caravan last year which has very pale white/grey marble effect worktop which now has tea/coffee stains on it, and a white sink which is badly stained. My wife is loath to use bleach or other 'normal' cleaners for fear of spoiling the plastic surface, but Thetford plastic cleaner doesn't touch it. What do other people use to solve this?
She has now bought a small melamine tray for the tea pot etc to prevent the problem going forward on the worktop, but this won't help with the sink.
 
Bicarbonate of soda mixed into a soft paste might help but do try on a small out of the way spot first to make sure that it doesn’t affect the basic worktop. We always use a bowl in our sink both at home and in the caravan to help prevent deterioration.
 
One option to clean these items is to use 1/4 cup of white vinegar, some washing up liquid and 2 cups of warm water.
Mix together and put in a spray bottle, spray the areas to be cleaned and leave for a few minutes before wiping off with a damp cloth.
Dry the worktop with either kitchen roll or microfibre cloth.
 
Ive found that if you buy cheap tesco brand of cream cleanser it works great, the difference with cheap brands as opposed to what I think is call Sif cream cleanser is there is little or none gritty element to it so doesn’t scratch at all, I’ve used it umpteen times to clean off black streaks caused by awning rails and it works brilliantly with no visible marks on the paintwork, as previously mentioned try it on an inconspicuous area of the sink and the worktop first, my wife has used it to give our house kitchen worktops a thoroughly good spring clean from time to time as well with no harm caused.

BP
 
SIF is a recognised brand but if that works so my Silky caravan cleaning paste. But again try it out on an inconspicuous area first.
 
otherclive said:
SIF is a recognised brand but if that works so my Silky caravan cleaning paste. But again try it out on an inconspicuous area first.
[/QUOMy suggestio regarding the sink is dd warm water to the sink about a quarter full and ad two miltons steralising tablets or any other brand and stand and watch the stain in the sink lift. with regards to the work top a good multi purpose spray. The same idea applies if your toilet bowl gets stained just fill with warm water and a couple of sterilizing tablets and it will come up like new
Sir Roger .
Click to expand...
 
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. The Milton/Steradent sounds a really good idea for the sink and we'll try the bicarb and then Cif on the worktops.
 
Be careful with Cif on the worktop. It’s mildly abrasive and might take the surface off. On the worktop I’d try a non-bleach spray cleaner. If that doesn’t work try lemon juice and finally try Silky. Silky is not abrasive but does leave a coating which prevents marking.
 
I agree-would be more worried about cif than a mild bleach type kitchen cleaner which i would try on an inconspicuous area ie back edge/side or underside first. it isn't like it is bathroom plastics that wil be damaged.
 
I'd not heard of Silky before so have just looked online and it looks like we need to get some for all sorts of cleaning jobs inside and outside the caravan.
Steradent tablets worked well in the sink and my wife put a bit of the steradent water on the stains on the worktop and left it for a little while and they have almost gone. We think doing this each time we use the caravan will prevent the problem recurring.
Many thanks to everyone.
 
Silky also works on rough plastics , the door frames round outside lockers, aquarolls etc. Also good for mastic especially if you use a very soft paint brush. Just use plenty of fresh water to rinse off. By the way I don't own shares in the company.
 
michael white said:
We bought a new caravan last year which has very pale white/grey marble effect worktop which now has tea/coffee stains on it, and a white sink which is badly stained. My wife is loath to use bleach or other 'normal' cleaners for fear of spoiling the plastic surface, but Thetford plastic cleaner doesn't touch it. What do other people use to solve this?
She has now bought a small melamine tray for the tea pot etc to prevent the problem going forward on the worktop, but this won't help with the sink.
Click to expand...
I know this a little late, but I've just discovered that oxy-action laundry stain remover sprinkled on a badly stained melamine bench top, then covered with a wet {not damp} cloth for an hour or two effectively removes tea and coffee stains that I could not get rid of using every other suggestion on the web.
 
Our previous caravan was a 2018 Sprite Quattro which came with white work surfaces that despite being careful, always ended up looking grubby.

In the end I actually used Swarfega engine degreaser. Yes, a bit extreme, but it's gel-like nature made sure it didn't run off and after applying and agitating with a nail brush and wiping it off it brought them up like new. I then applied a coat of decent polish to try and protect them but realistically it needed doing once a year.

White work surfaces......... you really have to question some caravan designers logic!
 
When we had stains on worktop i put a bit of toothpaste on to a rag and few minutes of rubbing and adding little bit of water it just vanished.
 
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