How to Clean Old Lego and Remove Pesky Stains

What could be more precious than a little kid playing Lego?

My husband. Playing Lego.

Yes, seeing this grown man's face light up when he gets a new Lego set is like seeing crazy fireworks lighting up the New Year’s Eve sky. Sure, our nieces and nephews can play with whatever they want at our place, but those Legos?

Off limits. Mess them up at your own risk.

Fine; I do find my hubby’s love for the Bane of the Underfoot (have you even STEPPED on a Lego brick before? It is DEATH.) very endearing. I myself have got some childhood quirks that the little kid in me hasn’t quite gotten over yet, and I’m not ashamed of it.

If your husband shares the same passion for the universal brick, or if you’ve got a few kids who just can’t get enough of them, let me share with you my husband’s trick on how to keep your old discolored Legos (damn those UV rays!) looking good as new every day.

How to Clean Stained and Yellowed Old Lego Bricks and Figures (And Retain Their Original Vibrant Colors That Have Faded)

You will need:

• Clorox liquid bleach
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Water
• An empty 2-liter PET bottle (transparent to let the light shine through)
• A shallow tray that can hold water

1. Fill an empty 2-liter PET bottle with water. My hubby uses this Harvey Fresh orange juice bottle because the mouth is wide enough for the Lego bricks to fit in.
2. On the cover or lid of the plastic bottle, pour in some bleach enough to fill the lid. Mix this in with the water in the bottle.
3. Again on the cover, pour in some hydrogen peroxide to fill the lid. Add this to the mixture in your bottle.
4. Shake your mixture and when you’re happy with it, pop your Lego bricks into the bottle. Expose this bottle out under the sun for 24 hours.
5. Some people like to use trays instead of bottles when exposing their Legos under the sun because the rays cover more surface area, but other people prefer the bottle because the Legos are more submerged. Your call.
6. After a day out in the sun, bring your Legos back in and drain the mixture. What you’ll be left with are bricks that look like they’ve just been opened from a fresh new box set. Simply wipe the excess mixture off your bricks with a clean cloth and you’re done.

Now your (husband or) child is ready to play with those good-as-new bricks again. Let me know how it goes!