I've actually gotten really good results using just the 3% hydrogen peroxide sold at major grocery stores, large zip-up sandwich bags, and sunlight - it takes far longer (2-3 days in direct sunlight during the peak of summer), but that basically just meant I had plenty of time to rotate the item to ensure it'd de-yellow evenly.

I was a professional housecleaner and ive used hydrogen peroxide over time on a lot of kitchen appliances & assorted surfaces. i know its properties and uses well. Peroxide does seem to be the #1 most effective choice to reverse the yellowing of plastic. Commonplace as hydrogen peroxide is, most users dont really know that at any strength it is simply H202 which is essentially WATER (H20) with an extra oxygen molecule H202 (ozone is H203) the extra oxygen molecules easily detach to cause enzyme reactions and THAT is the activating (bleaching) factor with the residue being pure water. H202 the cleanest clean possible. The action is the same matter what the various strengths (% & volumes) for different purposes are. Drug store peroxide is 3%, hair bleach activator is 6% (20 volume) to 12% (40 volum Oxyiclean has 18% and a pure pharmaceutical grade of H2O2 is a whopping 35%) H2O2 "power water" is safe yet misused it isnt. Oxidizers can be highly corrosive. At 3% medicinal peroxide is used to explode oxygen hating bacteria clean wounds, & dissolve blood & dead tissue. BUT exposure to pure OXYGEN at even 3% will bleach hair lighten skin & whiten fingertips. Higher strengths are potentially harmful & require precautions to avoid brief but painful chemical burns) H202 may oxidize some metals but it has no ingredients that will damage plastic. Its potential bleaching action on yellowing, (how well it bleaches and how long it takes) would amount to how MUCH oxygen (enzyme) is present to interact and how deeply it penitrates the surface. Heat & or light may help it penetrate but I am guessing that oxyclean which contains baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) might be more effective than hair peroxide.abd frequent application might be as effective as soaking Im also wondering if retrobrighters have tried just keeping a brown bottle of drugstore 3% peroxde handy to daily wipe down their devices? I suspect it would both slow the yellowing & reverse it gradually over time...

I'd just add that after disassembling, you can usually tell what color you're trying to match by examining areas of the plastic that were never previously exposed.

This is probably the best video for an overall perspective and mature approach to the subject. Well done!

Jesus, I usually have nothing to do with retro tech, but this was so well researched and structured I couldn't help but watch a full 20 minutes of making tech white again. Good job!

I have a cure for the yellowing coming back. Put a high quality auto wax on the plastic after retro brighting. The wax will reflect the uv light and slow down the process. Also on piano black plastics the wax actually stops fingerprints.

I appreciate how you explained the pros and cons of retrobright. Most videos do not go over the negatives at all. I live in downtown Seattle and don't have a place to leave stuff in the sun (or any place really lol), so sadly this isn't an option for me in the slightest. However, when the day comes to finally retrobright something, I will keep all this in mind.

Nothing looks good in nicotine yellow.

Tips coming from experience... No plastic bags or wrap! Just a clear plastic storage bin, sunlight and patience. I will do three light/thin brush coats a day for 1-3 days with great success. My first go with plastic wrap and sun resulted in blotches where the plastic clung and where it didn't... Hosed a perfectly good IIgs case this way :( Two other points: -No retrobrite on Painted surfaces!!! (Watch out Commodore guys, maybe others) many monitor bezels can be painted though they appear plastic. Same with badges, lettering, etc... The Peroxide will deteriorate it to the point it will often wash off directly after your treating it. -I have many times done keyboard keys in a 5(water):1(peroxide) solution in a clear plastic bowl, with clear plastic cover. Keys ALL came out evenly with out all the fuss of brushing on Peroxide and trying to lay keys out oriented up. Darned nifty. Mix, dump and submerge, cover and go! AND THE FIRST RULE OF THUMB!!! Try simple rubbing alchohol and a magic eraser sponge first! You might be VERY surprized with the results. (also search for dry erase marker to get out sharpie) :) All the Best!

An excellent, no-nonsense and informative video. I will go with the findings in this video to kick off my first brightening project. Thank you!

I found the most effective method of retro brighting is to submerge the plastic completely in a 12% hydrogen peroxide liquid, anything light can be blu tacked down in the container to prevent floating. Its a more expensive way of doing it, but it eliminates the possibility of streaking.

I'd like to add: for #3 on devils advocate about "yellowing being yours", I agree in some instances! I would like to offer the word "patina" to be used in this instance. In a high quality top grain leather product, or a carbon steel Japanese chefs knife, the term patina would be used to describe the beauty that comes along with using and aging. I think for certain things, its much more beautiful, especially knowing you created said patina.

Well known by now (this video is now over 4 years old), but worth posting here. One of the reasons the sun works very well is the heat it generates. So when using artificial light, either warm the solution or provide heat to the enclosure. Obviously not enough heat to melt plastic. More heat = less time necessary to brighten. Less time = less potential for bleaching damage, plastic deterioration or streaking.

The original Apple II or II Plus shouldn't need to be Retrobrighted, because its case is painted. Same thing with many TRS-80s. And Retrobright rarely turns out well on cases that were originally supposed to be beige, like the C64. Like you said, people often go too far and turn them nearly plain white, when they were never that color even when new.

Yellowed plastic becomes brittle, so in the snes, you will see that they legit fall apart

heat works too! :)

I keep my Playstation and my Super NES in plastic bags in a cupboard in ones of my bedrooms. I've had them both for over 20 years and there's not even a hint of yellowing on either console. I don't smoke in my house either so I guess that helps too.

I used hair conditioner and regular hydrogen peroxide and mixed for a good while about half and half but you should keep adding peroxide carefully until its a smooth goopy consistency like paint stripper. Coat heavily with paint brush and wrap in saran wrap then put in sun for several hours. You may need to repeat the application so make enough. Try to add as much peroxide you can but do not make it watery it has to cling to surfaces.

This was a really good guide. Not over promising and not complex. Just pain and honest. Thank you.

Thank you for a clear and concise explanation of this process. A very informational video without nonsensical fillers.

Great video, I don't know how you do it for me but I have no retro consoles, computers, etc, and you still manage to make this not only watchable, but super interesting. Please keep the videos going. PS I know you have a huge interest in Japan, but I am currently living in South Korea and if you had some sort of interest or need for anything here, please let me know and I'll make it happen. Keep up the great videos.

In this video, you stated that retrobrite does not change the molecular structure of plastic, but some years ago, it was studied and found that it actually does leave microscopic gaps once the bromine is reduced, which in theory would make the plastic structure weaker (perhaps brittle over time). Especially with repeated use of peroxide. I wonder if this is why the yellowing returns 10 fold over a shorter period of time, as it fills in these microscopic gaps when the bromine separates and resurfaces.😵‍💫 It reminds me of how plasticizers in some semi-rigid plastic action figures (like vintage He-Man, TMNT, etc), would separate and surface over the figures, leaving a sticky film on top. Plasticizers are an important component of the plastic, to keep it's structure supple. Once it surfaces, the plastic has been found to be less durable (more brittle). I wonder if by removing the bromine in these harder plastics, the effects are similar. I really wish there was a perfect solution to this problem. I'm contemplating experimenting with paint to match applications, using precise airbrushing and protective lacquer coats to replicate a perfect color match and surface finish, for certain items like a yellowing Super Nintendo, original classic NES, a Dreamcast and so forth. 🤔 This is a great video. Thank you so much for sharing it. Many valid points were made.

i would always retrobrite when i started collecting. now, you are right - as long as the yellowing happens when its in my posession, it doesnt bother me. very odd

Also, using the clear hydrogen peroxide and heat does the best job. You can buy stronger clear hydrogen peroxide probably at the same place you buy the cream. And so you need less peroxide you want to dilute it a bit with water

Heat can also be a factor which isn't mentioned a lot. Similar experiments have proven that standard off the shelf 3% Hydrogen Peroxide will work when diluted in water and heated to a significantly higher temperature. (70C or 160F is sufficient, but needs to be below the plastics melting point. ex. 210F for ABS) Essentially you can use a hotplate and heat diluted peroxide to around 160F with the part in solution for a couple hours and the process works similar. No light needed and no streaking. Another fact, most people mention that the retrobright process essentially reverses the coloring, which isn't true. Most people should be smart enough to piece together that retrobright is essentially just bleaching the plastic. Peroxide, especially high concentrate, is used for bleaching hair, which is why Salon 40 cream is found in salons and other 'beauty' stores. The more you know.

Every time you say “streaking” I think of my underwear lol

Great video, bit long for my ADD friends but I watched it all. Shared with the vintage sled collector groups. Thanks so much

I tried it on my teeth but lost patience sunbathing for 6 hours with my mouth wide open.

Best presentation I have watched on the pro’s and con’s of retro bright.

Finally, a video that gives you the facts with a mature brief. Also, "the carpet don't match the drapes, if you know what I mean"! 😁

Scandinavia is great for retrobright in the summer when you can get more then 20h of sunligt. In the winter on the other hand not so good. Guess the same thing is true for northern Alaska and Canada. :)

The archivist rule of thumb is to never alter something so drastically by any chemical process. Stabilize it if you can but don't try to remove anything that takes this much effort.

I remember my old PC's being yellow

I quite like the grungy yellow look of my Atari ST but with other systems I prefer the snowy white appearance. With my other systems, one system was almost orange and retro Brighting brought it back to its original finish and it's stayed that way for 10 years but I guess that says more about the sun in the UK! Certain machines suit a bit of yellowing but others don't plus it's very subjective I think.

The sunlight might have produced a more even result because *the sun moves* relative to the plastic, so bright spots & shadows would tend to get blurred out.

A wise, well thought out video. As in life nothing is without pros and cons.

The variable not taken into account is temperature. When you use a higher temperature it accelerates the process. I use the UV lights inside an insulated booth to get about a 90F temperature for best results! Peroxide concentration, keeping the mixture from drying out, UV light and temperature!

"Some things were not meant to be retr0brighted." Just like my grandpappy used to say.

Tried it with my slight yellow C64G. Even without Sunlight, after 14 Hours in Bags, the Plastic Parts are Commodore White again!

You're channel is awesome. Because of you, I'm now going to start getting into "classic computing" as a hobby. I already do a lot of custom builds and projects that are modern, or more modern at least, but these videos really inspire me to expand my collection. Thank you :D

Gotta try this some time. Sunny day in Scandinavia would be perfect for this, as the sun is up 19-22 hours.

With retrobriting, you need to put a UV protectant to slow the yellowing.

i recently got a apple iie, with monitor and one floppy drive, it all matches and doesnt look to bad till you see the top of the monitor where the drive sat.

Well I did retro bright on my SNES PAL + NTSC over a year ago. They came out perfect but then I had to move so they ended up in a friends loft. Now a year later having brought them out they are all yellowed again. Even if you keep them out of sunlight, heat reverts them back. I now know if I’m ever going to do it again they are going on a cool rack to draw the heat away.

In a more recent 8 bit guy video he shows off that ozone in a plastic bag with sunlight can work like retrobrite. It takes way longer but you don't have to worry about the problems that come with applying it as cream. I guess if you get a big enough bag, or like a big fishtank with a clear cover, you could put a whole monitor in there without taking it apart.

How about LEDs? Another popular light treatment in a completely different community is radioactive photographic lenses, specifically old Pentax lenses get really yellow. Just like retrobright, for a long time people thought UV was the only way the yellowing could clean out but recently a youtuber stuck one under an IKEA desk lamp overnight and compared the results, and it came out really well. This is probably also more energy efficient compared to fluorescent, and people are more likely to own strong LEDs than strong fluorescent lights.

Top vid again mate. :) keep up the good work!

I have never done it to anything I own, to scared the things like you talked about would happen and leave it even worse looking

The difference in the shop fluorescent lights and the UV lights was so slight that I suspect it wasn't the UV at all but rather some of the other colors. I would be interested in seeing what happens if you use incandescent light bulbs(not halogen). Very little UV from them.

Nice video, I'm going to do my A1200 but I don't think I will ever retro bright my original A500 which is almost orange!: ) nor will I do an A1000 I have which was already yellow when I got it from a famous games developer. Living in Southern Australia I can get HUGELY powerful ozone layer free burning light for like 12 hours straight over Summer, so getting them white will be no problem.

Loving the new set up! looks so aesthetically pleasing with all that retro.

The best video about this topic that I had ever found ! Thanks !

Great food for thought not found elsewhere nor often finding Capt. Archer on board. I've got cool gray plumbing fixtures including acrylic tub which all look just fine but have a grungy yellowish 30yo toilet seat and lid that never quite matched the fixtures anyway. Have noticed the grunge for sometime but just recently had cataract surgery and can see a great difference now. Think I'll give this a try. Was wondering if the blooming/streaking might have something to do with plastic bag/film coming into contact with item surface while in process of being retrOized? Thanks for sharing.

For computers and consoles that you still intend to use, some places offer replacement cases as an alternative. I would keep the original case somewhere safe and just use an alternate case colour less likely to yellow.

excellent video. I want to mention that I'll probably try this on my guitar. It suffered from yellowing due to sunlight so I'm assuming the same principle is at work here.

The clear solution retrobright hair products should stop the streakiness since it will let all the light through. The streakiness/blotchiness is because the white retrobright is blocking the light or blocking it inconsistently due to varying applied thickness. Just guessing not sure I haven't done it yet. I'm more excited for the ozone method.

Seems like (I am not an expert by any means, I just educated myself on the subject) that light is not the key, but the energy that is brought to help chemical reactions. Try with the solution you are using (3%,6%,12% H2O2, Beauty Salon cream, etc.) and heat it up to some degree (nothing crazy, 120-150F) and compare results with the non-heated version, and you should see acceleration. You can try it in a pitch-black room to be sure that light is not the factor, but the energy. In my opinion, the Vapor retrobright setup should work pretty well, a sealed container with the solution on the bottom, items to retrobright suspended in the air over the solution on some mesh or hangers, and a heating mat with controlled temperature under the container. The solution will start to evaporate, and cover the items evenly. Try to keep the container to a solution volume not higher than 10 to 1, to try to make solution and evaporation as effective as possible.

Retrobrite is just a bleaching process. Hey Birt! Did massive experimentation and came to the conclusion that you aren't "reversing they yellowing" or w.e, you are just bleaching the plastics into a lighter shade.

Thanks for pointing out the negative side of retrobrighting old machines. I was planning to do so but I'm going to rethink about the topic... Thanks!

So I’m here because I have a bathroom vent fan that has a yellowed plastic surround, I’d rather not replace the entire unit as the “drywall” is actually Sheetrock with 1/4” plaster over it. The hole size for the fan isn’t a standard size. And it’ll just be easier to freshen up the existing unit.

I watched a lot of videos about use the hydrogen peroxide but you experimented very good with that, I enjoyed it your video and I’ll put the cream on my projects , thanks a lot.

I retro bright my old keyboard for the test, is was very yellow almost brown, but I received it like that and remembered it like this . and I was filing strange like you describe , like I loose a friend of mine. when it become withe like new

Basically the computer community is entering the area that other collectibles have been in for a long time. Specifically, do you leave things as they were? Is patina a desirable condition? At what point are you stopping damage, vs. "restoring"? This is a huge debate within the world of collectible firearms. You'd have people like Mark Novak advocating for armory level damage mitigation (boiling light surface rust to convert it to bluing). Is cleaning something up and preserving it damaging the value or increasing the value? There's really no easy answer to the questions. But it's fascinating regardless.

Thats a good comment on how exactly they used to look, simply because we had no way of photographing them in digital. One way, is to find either a New-Old-Stock machine, assuming it too hasn't yellowed, or as damn as close to NOS as you can get - can get expensive. One of my 2x 800XL machines is NOS, and it's in it's original colour - I know this because I had one in 1984, and it's light beige. My Atari ST 1040, is light grey. My C64, is definitely brown. You can get those Aldi ones in light beige. I've seen Amiga 500 machines almost white in colour, that is not what they originally were. The A1200, was much closer to white than the old A500. It's a shame that, back in the 80s, all machines weren't more like the Commodore 16, or Spectrum - Black, in colour.

Not like anyone needed me to say so, but, can confirm that heat plays a lot into yellowing. I remember the "Computer Lab" at my elementary school being stocked to the brim with Apple II+ models, double disk drives, monitors and printers and it was hot as hell in there. They had 2 fans going all the time, and the machines were already yellowed and this was in the early 90s.

Just want to point out that using only hydrogen peroxide does in fact work. I used 35% peroxide, further diluted in a bit of water to increase the volume, I'd say about half and half if I remember correctly, and I got this result: imgur.com/a/HqF9j leaving it in the sun for a few hours (in Greece, during summer).

With an Apple IIe numeric keypad I tried the disassemble and simmer in water/peroxide method that I saw on a KZfaq video. Well, I got the temperature wrong and warped the plastic. Destroyed it. So forget the simmer method for me. On a Mattel Aquarius I tried using abrasive toothpaste and scrubbing. It worked ok, but the plastic now has a weird feel that I can't seem to wash off. The most recent one I did was a C64 breadbox that was deep brown. I went over the sink and used liberal amounts of Windex and water with a green dish-washing scrub pad. Lots of elbow grease. This actually worked quite well. So well in fact that I had to had to back-off on the keys so to not erase the white paint markings on each key. The case itself came out great. Huge difference. An evening well spent, right? Well, only one thing... the plastics look as I remember but are now rather brittle. I don't know if I caused the brittleness or not, but it's something to consider. I think every "retrobright" method removes part of the plastic and so makes it weaker. I conclude that if you don't go too crazy, the windex/water/green pad method can clean it up just enough to look good without *bleaching* the plastic as you so well put it.

Very informative and very much correct! Thank you for another good perspective on the process.

The only reason I would ever "retrobrite" an item is if it has discoloured unevenly, so that it could hopefully re-colour evenly over time (which all pieces do eventually, don't anyone be fooled otherwise). I'm with you on this one, I would much rather buy an item in its original state, regardless of its condition.

I don't have tons of experience retrobrighting but some, and I could SWEAR it makes some plastics become brittle. So for fragile or thin plastic parts I think it is slightly risky. Ever since I had that experience I've been pretty turned off the process.

11:35 looks easy to get its a mixture but as long as we dont can make something wrong with the mixture

For #2 What was the original look? -- in may cases it's how it looks on the inside of the case, unaffected by sun light.

I've been experimenting with this and I've been getting the dreaded streaks. It honestly looks like the peroxide is just baking onto the surface of the plastic. I hadn't considered the brand--it's a small bottle of the 40 stuff I found at CVS. I was thinking the plastic wrap bubbling is what led to the streaks, so I may try the bag option and try to keep the bag from touching the surface. I also want to try the submersion method, but that requires a lot of the liquid type depending on the size and container. Very interesting how it works under shop lights. I really wasn't expecting that, especially since heat seems to be a factor as well. (See 8BitGuy's boiling experiment)

Just like you can retrobright sneakers!!! But thanks very informative, detailed and nice explanation. Very thorough, thanks a lot!

Thanks, you avoided me losing time trying to do it to a CRT monitor lol

Very methodical! I need to try this on synthesizer keys, but it is not possible to remove them. That means clean up will be arduous and application will take time and attention to detail. If you have any important suggestions please let me know. I have tubes installed over my fluorescent lights (which happen to be right above the synth) to filter UVA and UVB. From your comments it sounds like that is a non-issue.

Thank you. Very informative.

People should know how dangerous high concentrate H2O2 is as well. I don't know how much is in the salon product (typically schools/labs will use a max 30% which is still considered dangerous), but you should be super careful handling it. Leaving it on your skin will end up being extremely painful. High enough concentration can either light on fire or explode from heat. Its also very corrosive, so since the plastic yellows again eventually you may end up disintegrating it over the course of retrobriting repeatedly. I've never heard of this happening with whats commercially available, I doubt it ever could. But this is why its more or less impossible to get anything higher than 3% over the counter.

Thank you very much for your explanation. I will also perform the 24-hour test in normal light (not UV) to verify the result. Greetings from Argentina!

These videos are totally awesome

Did you ever make a follow-up video to discuss if the yellowing came back after a few years?

Great video! I'm going to attempt a retrobright on my friends gameboy that I bought from him because like you said, I don't have the memories so to me, I want the "original" look. He also wrote his last name in paint on it and after attempting to scrub it off with isopropyl alcohol I was even taking off the OG Nintendo lettering and the name STILL didn't come off. At this point it's just a restoration project of my own, and I'm just happy to have a piece of history (I was more Gameboy Color Era). But I can agree that if it was YOURS originally, that patina is a nice edition, albeit cosmetically off-putting.

I had a Power PC 9500/120 and a 1998 Compaq Deskpro EP/SB. They were bought yellow already and were corporate-owned when new. I try to imagine how many chemicals they resisted on their early cleaning because both of them started cracking. Every time I moved the Apple somewhere, bits of plastic were falling on my hand or around else. Gone to garbage! The Deskpro was at least more resistant, but when I was tinkering with it, any handle or joint from any removed piece cracked. Garbage again! I still have a Compaq Presario 5000 and this was bought new in 2001. Yellow keyboard, but I don't intend to retro bright it. Just clean it properly and keep the history of it with me.

There's a swimming pool product line called Baquacil, and it's oxidizer is 27% Hydrogen Peroxide. It can be purchased at many pool supplies stores, and may be more helpful for making larger batches when making it yourself.

Another great video...I will be retrobriting soon...I am curious how high brightness led lights work vs the charged gases in an florescent tube...I will have to give it a try. Additionally, after retrobriting, some users have been using a flat transparent spray paint to coat the surfaces...this should prevent oxidation from air, but without UV protection...the components should still avoid daylight...cheers.

Thank you for the in-depth experiment.

You can get concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide from taxidermy supply houses. Stuff is used to bleach bones for display.

6:35 Top 10 saddest anime deaths

it's basically came from bleaching your hair. good job in testing!!! thanks for doing this now i understand bleaching plastic. =)

I'd be curious to see if sticking it under the black lights for just 5 hours would take away the blochyness and make it more comparable to sunlight.

Wouldn't it be possible, after the retro right process, to coat the plastic in some kind of UV protective substance to avoid future yellowing?

Fluorescent lights do produce uv light,the inside of the tube is coated in a powder that produces the light.

Great job for the community, well done! I still won't retrobright my little micro's.

Once something has been retrobrited, would one of the UV protection sprays make the effect last longer?Also, strictly speaking, xanthan is a thickener - a "stabiliser" is something that prevents peroxide from degrading (eg acetanilide, phenol, tin).

I know spray lacquer might be bad and cause more yellowing over time, if not immediately. But I’m curious if anyone has had luck with testing that after retrobrighting?

Great overview and scientific method! This was extremely helpful

just retr0brighted my SNES which was yellowed on the front and mismatched everything. Looks much better and I hope that it will stay in relatively good cosmetic condition as it will be kept in a dark environment most of the time. Hopefully when it begins to yellow again it will be much more even

I’m quite sure some Commodore 64 “breadboxes” were grey. I’ve used both brown and grey ones.

I have 2 Apple IIIs and I’m leaving them yellow. Like patina on antiques it adds value to see the original with natural aging.

3 points, use a uv lamp , not Sun light, and chemically seal all newly brightened surfaces, this will greatly reduce 're- yellowing'. It has been claimed that whitening makes the plastic brittle, however this seens imporbable considering the interaction, and reaction (s) occuring.