Fluorescents or Not????..>>>>You be the Judge!

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Most light is capable of yellowing pale colored plastic with enough exposure; a lot depends on the composition of the plastic itself. The vac in your closet is so pristine because it wasn't exposed to much light of any kind.
 
How close were these items to the lighting source?

The items in question were not close to the lighting.

I am afraid now to use the compact fluorescents. I changed the flourescent overhead light in my kitchen and changed the undercounter fluorescent lights to Xenon lighting.
 
Well I dunno, I'm not convinced because I've had white plastics discolor under ordinary room conditions, regular lightbulbs and a kitchen window. And then some where one part of the item gets discolored and another section not even though they're part of the same item.
 
My can opener and ice tea maker are yellowed on some parts that were exposed to sunlight spilling through the mini blinds in my kitchen at the previous house over a period of several years.

The timer knob on my F&P DE04 dryer is also yellowed since it has been living in the garage/utility @ Granny's house.
 
I've always assumed it was the nicotine....

I only recently installed the CFCs in "Chalet d'Oxydol".....most of my stuff would have been exposed to the "halo light" in the kitchen back in Gotham...

To me, I see it most on white sneakers that don't get dirty...but they are in the closet....

I guess our Pearl White Constellation owners had better start stockpiling tanning butter!
 
Silly question, Gary....could the discoloration on the shaver be caused by the heat from the switch or the batteries, rather than the light?
 
Scott...

Not an option. The 'shaver' was not plugged in. It is strictly run by electricity(no batteries). It was just sitting on the shelf over my washer/dryer exposed to a Shop fluorescent light.

Simply amazing!
 
Gary:

About your vacs:

Those are Electrolux Diamond Jubilees, and they're notorious for yellowing. The unyellowed one is the oddball, not the one that yellowed. That beige was very prone to discolouration, for some reason. I have an Elux 1205 that is ten years older than my Diamond Jubilee, and people who don't know collectible vacs think the 1205 is much newer than the DJ. My DJ didn't even have the grace to discolour evenly; some of it's beige and some of it's tan.

It may be a problem with light, but I don't have fluorescents or halogen in my house (hate the bluish/greyish/whitish cast of the light, even the "warm" versions) and I have the same problem you do on my Diamond Jubilee.
 
Greg--I agree!

And I absolutely can't WAIT to come up there and play with that new Blackstone next September...tell Roger & Terry I'm envious! ;-)
 
get some REAL Maytags! ;-)

how generous of you! i'll take the pushbutton number on the right... i have a "white" Oster blender i got brand new when i was about 12. its now two-tone white/cream. and all the lights in my apartment are compact flourescents. all. thanks for giving me something else to feel bothered about, guys!
 
I have had no yellowing problems other than on a Panasonic microwave that a friend gave-was yellowed when I got it.I use CFL,Metal halide lights in my place and have had no strange problems with plastic-even the lens-diffusers on one of my Halide light fixtures shows no yellowing.I HATE incandescent lights-their yellowish-glow gives me a headache.The incandescent fixtures in my kitchen and laundry room have been replaced with flourescents--MUCH better.I felt like I was working in candlelight.The very small amount of long wave UV emitted by flourescent,Metal Halide is not harmful to you.In flourescents-the dangerous SW UV is absorbed by the phospors-what gives the white light and the bulb glass.Borosilicate glass used in most light bulbs absorbs SW UV.In metal halide bulbs a phospor can be used on the inner wall of the bulb-gives out slightly softer warmer light than a clear metal halide bulb.The phosphor generates a tiny amout of additional white light from the SW UV emitted by the arc tube.In bulbs designed to PASS SW UV,the bulb envelope is made from Quartz glass which will pass the SW UV.these are found in tanning machine bulbs,and bulbs for mineral prospecting(minerals flouresce under SW light-but not LW)I have a couple of SW-LW prospector lamps.Also UV bulbs for UV adhesive curing will have powerful SW UV lamps.Most of these bulbs won't fit standard fixtures-there are a few that will-Clear Quartz glass UV germicidal bulbs for germicidal fixtures.These are made in 24"and 48" sizes.T8 size bulb.The packages these come in are covered with warnings not to use these bulbs in regular fixtures-and since they have no sphospor-emit the bluish white light characticstic of mercury-argon vapor.They even look like mercury vapor rectifier tubes!Mercury vapor rectifier tubes have borosilicate glass so they won't pass SW radiation.In some cicumstances they could generate X-Rays-this is when the anode supply voltage is over 10Kv.You won't have to worry about X-Rays from any light bulbs in regular use.
 
X-Rays?

YIKES! I never knew that lighting your home could have that kind of effect!

I'm still not convinced about the flourescents either. I have had some discolouration on plastic items that came into close contact with incandescent bulbs, e.g. a Lite Brite toy. I almost think it's a heat-generated discolouration rather than one from the emitted light rays.

Who knows....I have been looking a little green lately. ;-)
 
Toggle can be quite spicy, but I assure you that he is not r

And I know personally that Togs HATES plastics....

He's more of a hmmmm.....synthetic rubber type guy!
LMAO

*runs really fast*
 
Actually, since that picture was taken a couple of short months ago, things have changed...more pics to follow this weekend!

I have seen this discoloration on plastics before, but I'm not totally convninced it from the floro-tubes either. I've had that Duet set in my laundry room since May of 04 and so far...

I wonder if some of the other floro varieties are not as damaging, the "real light" and "warm white" tubes are available, but more expensive.
 
Oh Dear.....

Oh yes Toggle...the Mutha, the Son, and the Crazy Greek! LOL Did you say desert? I've been told that your Greek honey balls are to die for! I wouldn't miss this for the world.

Carol: "Toggle can be quite spicy, but I assure you that he is not rubbing it all over my plastics."....I wasn't going to touch that line with a ten-foot Spanakopita! Glad you said it! LOL
 
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