I Soaked My Cloudy Plastic Outdoor Spotlight Covers in Mylanta and Lime Jell-O for 10 Days

I Soaked My Cloudy Plastic Outdoor Spotlight Covers in Mylanta and Lime Jell-O for 10 Days — Here’s What Really Happened

Every summer, when the evenings grow warm and the porch lights start glowing against the fading sky, I notice another reminder that my house has weathered another year. This time it wasn’t peeling paint or faded flower pots—it was the old plastic spotlight covers mounted on my garage.

 

 

 

After nearly a decade of constant exposure to sunlight, rain, snow, dust, and extreme temperatures, the once crystal-clear covers had turned cloudy, dull, and slightly yellow. They still worked, but the lights looked dimmer, and the fixtures appeared much older than they really were.

Instead of immediately buying replacements, I decided to test one of the strangest DIY remedies I’ve ever heard about:

Soaking the covers in a mixture of liquid Mylanta and powdered lime Jell-O overnight, repeating the process for ten consecutive days.

Did it work?

The short answer is no—not in the miraculous way internet rumors might suggest.

But the experiment revealed a lot about how plastic ages, what actually causes cloudiness, and why some homemade remedies seem to help even when they don’t truly restore anything.

Here’s everything that happened.

Why Plastic Outdoor Light Covers Turn Cloudy

Before talking about the experiment itself, it’s important to understand why these covers become cloudy.

Outdoor light covers are commonly made from:

 

 

 

Polycarbonate

Acrylic (PMMA)

UV-resistant plastic blends

Even high-quality plastics slowly deteriorate after years outdoors.

Constant exposure to:

ultraviolet sunlight

oxygen

heat

moisture

airborne dirt

pollution

lawn chemicals

gradually damages the outer surface.

The result is:

microscopic cracks

oxidation

surface roughness

embedded dirt

yellowing

loss of transparency

Many people assume the cloudiness is dirt.

Most of the time…

it isn’t.

It’s permanent weather damage to the plastic itself.

The Supplies

For the experiment I used:

Two cloudy spotlight covers

1 cup liquid Mylanta

2 packets lime Jell-O powder

Warm water

Plastic container large enough for soaking

The mixture became thick, pale green, and slightly slippery.

The covers were completely submerged.

Every evening I repeated the process:

remove

rinse

inspect

refill mixture

soak overnight again

for ten straight days.

 

 

 

 

Day 1

The first morning looked promising.

The covers felt smoother.

Loose dirt rinsed away easily.

Sticky residue around the edges disappeared.

However…

The cloudy appearance remained almost unchanged.

The improvement came mostly from removing years of surface grime.

Day 2

No major difference.

The plastic still looked milky.

The green Jell-O mixture left a sugary film that required extra rinsing.

Day 3

I placed one treated cover beside the untreated one.

Under direct sunlight…

I honestly couldn’t tell much difference.

Only the cleaned edges looked brighter.

Day 4

The covers developed a slightly slick feel.

There was no increase in transparency.

No reduction in yellowing.

Day 5

I examined them with a flashlight.

The tiny surface scratches were still clearly visible.

Light scattered through the cloudy plastic exactly as before.

Day 6

After another overnight soak, I noticed:

cleaner corners

less dirt trapped around the rim

smoother touch

But the haze remained.

Day 7

This was the point where I realized the experiment had probably reached its limit.

If the mixture was going to reverse oxidation, I should have seen obvious improvement.

Instead…

Nothing significant had changed.

 

 

 

 

Day 8

I gently washed the covers using dish soap after removing them from the mixture.

Interestingly, they looked almost identical to Day 3.

That suggested most of the visible improvement simply came from cleaning.

Day 9

Still no restoration.

No clearer light.

No reduction in surface damage.

Day 10

After the final soak, I dried the covers completely and reinstalled them.

From several feet away they looked slightly fresher simply because they were clean.

When viewed up close…

they remained cloudy.

What Actually Improved

The experiment wasn’t a total failure.

The soak did accomplish several small things.

It:

softened stubborn dirt

loosened insect residue

removed greasy deposits

cleaned around the edges

made washing easier

If your covers are simply dirty, any mild cleaner could produce similar results.

What Didn’t Improve

The soak did not:

remove UV damage

eliminate oxidation

repair scratches

reverse yellowing

restore factory clarity

rebuild degraded plastic

These problems occur inside the damaged outer layer of the plastic.

No food product or antacid can reverse that chemical aging process.

Why Mylanta Probably Didn’t Help

Mylanta contains ingredients designed to neutralize stomach acid.

Those ingredients aren’t intended to polish plastic or dissolve oxidation.

While the liquid may loosen certain residues, it has no chemical action capable of repairing UV-damaged polymers.

What About the Lime Jell-O?

The powdered gelatin contains:

sugar

citric acid

food coloring

flavoring

gelatin

None of these ingredients are known to restore weathered plastic.

If anything, the sugar left a sticky coating that required additional rinsing.

The green color simply made the mixture look more impressive than it actually was.

Why Some People Think It Works

DIY tricks often appear successful because cleaning alone creates visible improvement.

When years of dirt are removed, the object naturally looks brighter.

Our brains often mistake:

cleaner

for

restored.

They’re not the same thing.

What Actually Restores Cloudy Plastic?

If oxidation is only superficial, better results usually come from:

plastic polishing compounds

headlight restoration kits

very fine wet sanding followed by polishing

UV-protective plastic coatings

These methods physically remove the damaged outer layer before polishing the surface back to clarity.

When the plastic has deeply degraded, replacement is often the only permanent solution.

Is the Experiment Worth Trying?

If you’re curious and already have the ingredients, the soak won’t usually harm sturdy outdoor plastic during a short test.

However, don’t expect dramatic restoration.

You’ll probably end up with cleaner plastic—not clearer plastic.

Final Verdict

After ten consecutive overnight soaks, my old spotlight covers looked cleaner, smoother, and free of years of accumulated grime. Unfortunately, the cloudy haze, fine scratches, and UV damage remained almost exactly the same.

The experiment reminded me of something many experienced homeowners already know: cleaning and restoring are two very different things. Homemade mixtures can remove dirt, but they rarely reverse years of weather-related plastic deterioration.

In the end, I saved a little money by satisfying my curiosity before buying anything new, and while Mylanta and lime Jell-O made for an interesting conversation piece, they didn’t perform any miracles. For severely weathered outdoor plastic, a dedicated plastic restoration product—or simply replacing the covers—is still the most reliable solution.