How To Clean A Lifetime Table

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Lifetime tables and chairs are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, which is non-porous and resistant to most organic stains.  For regular cleaning, mild dish soap and a damp cloth is all you need to keep your Lifetime table looking as good as new.  For greasy food residues, a mild abrasive, such as Soft Scrub and a non-scratching pad will do the trick. Still, there are some stubborn residues that just soap and water can’t handle, so we’ve done some informal testing to see what works the best on what. 

We gathered five different substances that are known for causing stubborn stains and applied them to a Lifetime tabletop:  spaghetti sauce, mustard, coffee, ink, and an industrial marking crayon. We let them set undisturbed on the tabletop for 24 hours.  After 24 hours the coffee and the mustard wiped up easily with just a wet paper towel without staining.  For the rest of the substances we decided to try simple Baking Soda, Clorox, and the latest cleaner on the market, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  As per instructions with most cleaners, we let these set for a minute after applying to loosen up the substance before scrubbing.

The Baking Soda was mixed with water to form a paste. While it faded the spaghetti sauce stain a little bit, it only managed to smear the ink and the industrial marking crayon, and caused no fading on those substances whatsoever.

The Clorox spray worked very well on the spaghetti sauce, even with just a paper towel.  While we didn’t test its effectiveness on fruit juice or wine, we suspect that you would have just as much success with the Clorox spray on those organic stains as well since they are similar in make up to the tomato-based sauce.

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser performed amazingly not only on the spaghetti sauce, but the ink and the industrial marking crayon as well, which is impressive considering that they all have very different bases.  With the Magic Eraser and just a little bit of elbow grease, the tabletop looked as good as new.  The magic eraser is actually a scrubbing sponge that has been pre-treated with a powerful cleaning agent.  For this reason, it is not recommended that you use it in combination with other household cleaners (especially Chlorine).  After using the Magic Eraser, the surface of the tabletop should be rinsed before coming into contact with food.

Hopefully you will find this information useful, and as always, we would love to hear about your own experiences with our products.