Composite & Coating · Care Guide
Acrylic
Clearer than glass, and far easier to scratch
Maintained As
Rigid Polymer & Composite
Smooth and warm to the touch, in gloss or matte finishes.
Durability
Everyday resilience
Good impact resistance, poor scratch resistance. Acrylic scratches from something as ordinary as a paper towel.
In the Collection
1 piece
Every piece we carry in acrylic, cared for the same way.
About This Material
Acrylic transmits more light than glass and weighs less than half as much, which is why it can be formed into shapes glass never could. It is also considerably softer, and it has one absolute chemical prohibition that catches nearly every new owner out.
How To Spot It
Optically clear with a slight warmth to the touch, noticeably lighter than glass, and a rounded rather than sharp cut edge.
Seamless moulded forms with consistent colour. Acrylic is optically clear and, weight for weight, considerably stronger than glass.
Specific To Acrylic
Never use ammonia or standard glass cleaner on acrylic. It crazes the surface into a permanent network of microscopic cracks that cannot be polished out — the single most common way an acrylic lamp or table leg is ruined. Use microfibre only; even paper towel scratches it.
At A Glance
How it holds up
Each bar shows how well acrylic resists that stress — five means it shrugs it off, one means it is the first thing to damage the surface.
Typically Used For
What It Does Well
- Clearer than glass and half the weight
- Formable into shapes glass cannot
- Fine scratches polish out
What To Accept
- Ammonia crazes it permanently
- Scratches from paper towel
- Yellows in sunlight unless stabilised
Daily Care
The everyday routine
- Dust with a clean microfibre cloth only — never paper towel, which is abrasive enough to scratch acrylic.
- Wipe spills with a damp microfibre cloth.
- Lift rather than drag objects across the surface.
- Keep away from direct heat, which distorts thermoplastics.
Deep Cleaning
Step by step
- 01 Rinse or wipe loose dust away first — dragging grit is the main cause of scratching.
- 02 Wash with plenty of warm water and a drop of mild washing-up liquid, using a soft microfibre cloth.
- 03 Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
- 04 Dry with a fresh microfibre cloth, using light pressure.
- 05 For acrylic, finish with a dedicated plastic polish to fill fine scratches and restore clarity.
- 06 Anti-static plastic cleaner reduces how quickly dust returns.
Safe To Use
- Mild washing-up liquid and plenty of warm water
- Dedicated acrylic or plastic cleaner
- Clean microfibre cloths only
- Plastic polish for fine scratches
- Anti-static cleaner
Never Use
- Ammonia and all standard glass cleaners — they craze acrylic into a permanent network of fine cracks
- Alcohol, acetone and solvents
- Paper towel and newspaper, both abrasive enough to scratch
- Abrasive creams and powders
- Scrubbing dry, which grinds dust into the surface
Stain Removal
Lift it without making it worse
Blot rather than rub, and test any treatment somewhere out of sight first.
Wipe with a damp microfibre cloth and dry. Nothing absorbs.
Warm water with mild washing-up liquid, then rinse and dry with microfibre.
Mild soapy water first. If it will not lift, use a dedicated plastic cleaner — never alcohol or acetone, which will craze or dissolve the surface.
Not a stain but the usual complaint. A plastic polish worked in small circles fills and blends them; deeper scratches need progressive polishing compounds.
Almost always crazing from ammonia exposure. Permanent — this is why glass cleaner must never touch acrylic.
Anti-static plastic cleaner. Polymers attract dust electrostatically and dry dusting makes it worse.
UV degradation over time. Not reversible; UV-stabilised acrylic resists it far better.
Prevent Damage
What actually causes the harm
- Ammonia
- The critical prohibition. Keep all standard glass cleaners away from acrylic — the damage is instant and permanent.
- Scratches
- Microfibre only, and always lift rather than drag. Felt pads under every object.
- Heat
- Thermoplastics soften and distort. No hot dishes, and keep clear of radiators.
- UV
- Non-stabilised polymers yellow and embrittle in sunlight.
- Solvents
- Even brief contact with acetone or alcohol crazes acrylic.
- Point loads
- Rigid polymers can crack under concentrated stress, particularly at fixing points.
Never Do This
Damage that cleaning cannot undo
Each of these changes the surface permanently.
Ammonia or standard glass cleaner on acrylic
It crazes the surface into a permanent network of microscopic cracks. This is the single most common way an acrylic piece is ruined, and it cannot be polished out.
Acetone or alcohol
They dissolve and craze the surface on contact.
Paper towel or newspaper
Both are abrasive enough to leave fine scratches across clear acrylic.
Abrasive cleaners
They permanently haze the surface.
Dry dusting a dusty surface
It grinds the grit in. Always wet the surface first.
Hot items directly on the surface
Thermoplastics soften and take a permanent impression.
An over-wattage bulb in a lit acrylic column
Sustained heat yellows and softens the diffuser from the inside. Keep to the wattage marked on the lamp and fit an LED.
Repair
Putting it right
Plastic polish worked in small circles with a microfibre cloth. Very effective on acrylic.
Progressive wet sanding from 800 up to 3000 grit, then polish. Best left to a professional on a visible surface.
Permanent. The material has fractured internally and cannot be restored.
Acrylic cement can bond a clean break, but the joint will always be visible.
Not reversible.
Maintenance Schedule
A rhythm worth keeping
- daily
- Wipe with a damp microfibre cloth.
- weekly
- Clean with mild soapy water and dry with microfibre.
- monthly
- Check for scratches and use anti-static cleaner.
- quarterly
- Polish acrylic to restore clarity.
- annually
- Inspect fixing points for stress cracks.
Where To Put It
Indoor placement
Light and easy to live with. One chemical prohibition matters more than everything else combined.
Site It Like This
- Use microfibre only — even paper towel scratches acrylic.
- Lift rather than drag objects across the surface.
- Polish acrylic occasionally to restore clarity; it genuinely works.
- Keep the piece out of direct sun if it is not UV-stabilised.
Not Here
- Ammonia and standard glass cleaner on acrylic — this is the big one.
- Acetone, alcohol and solvents of any kind.
- Hot dishes; thermoplastics soften and take a permanent impression.
- Dry-dusting a dusty surface, which grinds the grit in.
Weekly Care
The five-minute routine
Clean with mild soapy water and dry with microfibre.
Then monthlyCheck for scratches and use anti-static cleaner.
Common Questions
What owners ask us
Ammonia crazes acrylic — it creates a permanent network of microscopic cracks through the material that cannot be polished out. It is the single most common way an acrylic lamp or table leg is ruined, and it happens the first time someone reaches for the blue spray bottle.
Not at all. Acrylic is soft, which is why it scratches, but that also means a plastic polish worked in small circles genuinely removes light scratching and restores clarity.
Plenty of warm water with a drop of mild washing-up liquid, on a clean microfibre cloth. Rinse and dry with a fresh microfibre. Never paper towel — it is abrasive enough to scratch.
UV degradation, or heat from inside a lit column. Non-stabilised acrylic and resin yellow slowly in sunlight and it is not reversible. Keep the piece out of direct sun and fit an LED bulb.
No. Thermoplastics soften with heat and will take a permanent ring or impression.
Polymers hold a static charge. An anti-static plastic cleaner genuinely reduces how fast dust returns, and dry-dusting makes it worse by generating more static.
Lifespan & Ageing
How it will look in ten years
With Proper Care
Ten to twenty years, and acrylic can be polished back to clarity repeatedly.
With Poor Care
Two to five years before scratching, crazing and yellowing dominate.
How It Ages
Clear acrylic accumulates fine scratches that gradually reduce clarity, though polishing genuinely reverses this. Non-stabilised polymers yellow slowly in light. There is no patina here — the goal is simply to keep it looking as it did when new.
Acrylic Specifically
Accumulates fine scratches that reduce clarity, though plastic polish genuinely reverses this. Non-stabilised acrylic yellows slowly in sunlight.
Related Materials
Cared for the same way
These share acrylic’s maintenance regime, so the same routine applies to all of them.
Not Sure
We will check it for you
If you are unsure which material your piece is, or you have a mark you would rather not experiment on, tell us the piece and what you are unsure of; when we reply, you can attach photographs.
Ask us