Lucite handbag with odd mottled look

[Joan Berglund]

I just bought this Florida Handbags Lucite handbag. In bright sun it looked ok, but indoors I can see that it is oddly mottled. There are no odors at all and no stickiness or oiliness. It has a few faint scratches overall, but there are no more or fewer in the clear area, so nothing to suggest color was rubbed off with an abrasive, or that the clear areas were treated with a plastic cleaner to remove scratches. It looks too random to be intended I think, but I am not sure.

 

[Pinkcoke]

Do you mean the difference in slightly more matte and shinier areas? If so this is something I've seen as a reaction to old varnished items from water, something to do with it oxidising. It possible someone thought to clean it with something it didn't like.

 

[Joan Berglund]

The different looking areas are actually white vs. somewhat translucent in person, rather than being a difference in sheen.

 

[jauntyrooster]

I suspect Melanie is on the right track here - a bad cleaning job or age related discoloration. You might try using Novus plastic cleaner on the purse. They have a 3 step kit that you can buy and I have had good luck with it in cleaning vintage lucite. I am not sure that yours will recover but it is worth a try.

http://www.amazon.com/Novus-Plastic...?ie=UTF8&qid=1403109401&sr=8-2&keywords=novus

 

[Joan Berglund]

I've gotten some feedback from other sources that it might be the early stages of Lucite disease. Is anyone familiar with this? Again, no odors or strange feel, but the clouding is suspicious I guess.

 

[jauntyrooster]

I haven't dealt with it but I have read about it. It sounds like it could be a likely culprit too. If the Novus doesn't work, then you can be pretty sure it is permanent. Good luck.