Can I do this ?? Baking Soda / Hydrogen Peroxide ? Oxidation Removal

[Chemicalwonder]

Hello you wondrous minds, this is my very first time ever posting in a science forum The last time I can remember I was doing this was back in college 15 years ago. Somehow even back then I knew I should have been paying more attention in the classroom. 

I am a sneaker collector and have been collecting sneakers all the way back from the 1990s. I have hundreds of pairs and I wanted to donate some of the older ones and I'm noticing that some of my sneakers are actually getting yellow soles  on the rubber and foam parts, even the clear plastics you will find on the bubble part of the sneaker have developed a hazziness to them. I believe this is due to oxidation and just time. I need to figure out how to make a solution at home that can help me remove this . There are products online which I purchased and used but I am very curious myself as to how this actually works.

 1. I'm trying to create my own solution of  a de-yellowing mixture, paste something safe possibly without a bleaching agent that can ruin the material if applied on accidentally

Mixtures in mind 

*(baking soda and hydrogen peroxide )  +UV

*(other variations of the above and possible bleaching agents) +UV

*( Whatever ingredients are in Whitening strips) 

2. This mixture needs to be safe for use on rubber and foam , It also shouldn't be able to bleach a color off the leather part of a sneaker if I get some on accidentally. 

3. Is it possible to create something like a teeth whitening strip which i can easily apply on the midsoles.

4. The strip Will need to be made out of something ( uhd poly?)  It will need to prevent the mixture from drying out when under UV light .

5. Is it possible to give the paste/strip an adhesive property so it can be easily applied to the rubber pieces? 

Thank you and God bless 🙏

 

[MigL]

While I would use baking soda as a cleaner, trying to remove oxidation  and photo-oxidation ( due to UV ) with a strong oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide, is just wrong.
H2O2 works on teeth by removing color due to stains and aging; it does not remove ( rather causes ) oxidation.
Plastic oxidation is due to stripping electrons away, either by capture, or liberation by UV, from the long chain polymers making up most plastics.
This degrades the plastic making it weaker, more brittle, and less flexible, while changing its color to yellowing, 'dusty' white, or gray, depending on original color.
I suggest you store your collection in dry, nitrogen filled ,or vacuum bags, in a dark area.
Any mold that grows on them can always be cleaned off with a white vinegar solution.

[studiot]

8 hours ago, Chemicalwonder said:

I believe this is due to oxidation and just time

 

I am wondering about the wisdom of looking at more powerful oxidising agents to counter the supposed mild oxidisation.

 

I think in fact that yellowing and increasing opacity is a feature of life, particularly with artificial plastics materials.
Change of mechanical properties eg embrittlement is another.
 

The Materials Science behind this is complex and produced by several different factor.
Some of these are irreversible.

[John Cuthber]

10 hours ago, MigL said:

While I would use baking soda as a cleaner, trying to remove oxidation  and photo-oxidation ( due to UV ) with a strong oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide, is just wrong.

Yes, but it works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright

13 hours ago, Chemicalwonder said:

clear plastics you will find on the bubble part of the sneaker have developed a hazziness to them

I suspect that may be due to loss of plasticisers (by evaporation) and it would be practically impossible to reverse it.
Also, rubbers are very susceptible to oxidation. I wouldn't try the peroxide trick on them unless I didn't care about making the problem worse. (In a "nothing to lose" scenario)

 

[Sensei]

Any experiments with chemicals or mixtures should be performed first on something expendable. After confirmation they work okay, do attempt on a single real item. After a couple days, weeks or months, without any bad signals, do the rest of items.

[MigL]

57 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

Yes, but it works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright

From that same link ...

"There is still some debate over the long-term effectiveness of this technique. Some have discovered the yellowing reappears, and there is discussion of factors that may result in this happening. There are also some concerns that the process weakens the plastic."

A lot of things 'work'.
Paint oxidation is removed with gritty, abrasive rubbing compound, so a scouring pad will also work, but will ultimately do more damage.

[Chemicalwonder]

Wow thank you all for the responses all great help . 

So here's the thing The thing I purchased is called SoleBrite and it does wonders ( pictures attached to show the before and after. It works wonders so I need to figure out what's inside here  it has a slight smell of bleach, and it hasn't stained any of the fabrics when I accidentally got some on.

There is no scrubbing here,  just an hour in the UV light with plastic wrap. 

 

I also took  before and after pictures to show you how dramatic the difference is. 

Now all I want to do is put the mixture on an adhesive strips (like the ones that go and stick to your teeth). That plastic wrap is such a pain in the keister to use.

Sensei great idea on taking it slow ! 

Thanks again 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Chemicalwonder
Picture upload