Every spring, when I start wiping down the porch furniture and sweeping away the last of the winter grit, I notice the same thing: those once-clear plastic outdoor light covers looking tired, yellowed, and cloudy. This year I decided to stop squinting past them and actually test one of those oddball cleaning ideas people whisper about online. For 10 straight days, I soaked my cloudy plastic outdoor light covers overnight in a mix of Efferdent tablets and Crystal Light lemonade powder to see if I could bring back some clarity without replacing the fixtures.
I’m the kind of mom who will absolutely try a budget fix before I spend $28 to $45 per light on replacement parts, especially when I’ve got three porch fixtures and two garage lights staring me down. In this little experiment, I kept notes on what I used, how long I soaked the covers, what changed day by day, what did not change, and whether I’d recommend this method to another family trying to stretch a home-maintenance dollar. Here’s exactly what happened.
1. Why I tried this in the first place
My front porch light covers are hard plastic, not glass, and they’ve been outside for years through Midwest sun, snow, dust, and bug spray season. They had that hazy, dingy look that makes the whole entryway feel older, even right after I cleaned the siding and the door. I had already washed them with warm soapy water and a microfiber cloth, and that removed dirt, pollen, and cobweb residue, but it did almost nothing for the cloudiness.
I’d read that Efferdent can help lift organic film and mineral buildup, while lemonade powder contains citric acid, which sometimes helps with cloudiness and hard-water staining. Since I already had both in the house, this felt like a low-cost test. I figured if it flopped, I was out maybe $3 to $5 in supplies instead of buying all new covers.
2. What the light covers looked like before the soak
I tested three removable plastic covers from one side porch fixture first. Each cover was about 8 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches across at the widest point. They weren’t cracked, but they were definitely weathered. The outside had a dull film, and the inside had little specks and streaks from trapped bugs, moisture, and years of heat from the bulb.
The cloudiness was not uniform. The top third of each cover was the worst, probably from heat buildup near the bulb. The lower half looked more yellow than gray, especially when I held the covers over a white towel in my kitchen. That was my first clue that I wasn’t dealing with simple dirt alone. Some of this was likely oxidation, and oxidation is much harder to reverse completely than grime.
3. The exact mixture I used
Each night, I used a large plastic dishpan that holds about 10 quarts. I filled it with roughly 2 gallons of hot tap water, around 115 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit by my instant-read kitchen thermometer. Then I added 4 Efferdent tablets and 2 packets of Crystal Light lemonade powder. I stirred it gently with an old wooden spoon until the powder dissolved and the tablets finished fizzing.
I fully submerged the covers and placed a dinner plate on top to keep them from floating. I let them soak for about 10 to 11 hours each night, usually from around 8:30 p.m. until 6:30 or 7:00 the next morning. In the morning, I rinsed them with lukewarm water, dried them with a flour-sack towel, checked the progress in daylight, and then repeated the process the next evening.
4. What happened after the first overnight soak
After night one, the water looked lightly yellow-gray, which honestly made me hopeful. The covers felt squeakier-clean, and the inside film came off much more easily when I rubbed them with a soft sponge. I could see a small improvement right away, mostly in surface cleanliness. The plastic looked less dirty, but not dramatically clearer.
The biggest change was that the covers lost that greasy outdoor residue that can build up from pollen, road dust, and summer humidity. If your light covers are just grimy, one overnight soak might be enough to make you happy. If they’re truly oxidized, like mine were, the first round is more of a “well, that’s a start” moment than a jaw-dropping reveal.
5. Days 2 through 4: the encouraging stage
By the second and third nights, I started noticing that the lower half of the covers looked brighter when the porch light was off. Not crystal-clear, but definitely less muddy. The yellowing around the edges softened a bit, and the inside haze improved enough that I could more clearly see the bulb shape through the plastic.
On day 4, I compared one treated cover to two untreated ones under the same kitchen light. The treated one looked around 15% to 20% better to my eye. That is not scientific, of course, but it was enough that my husband noticed without me prompting him. He said, “That one looks cleaner, but still old,” which turned out to be a very accurate summary of this whole experiment.
6. Days 5 through 7: progress slowed down
This is where the improvement really leveled off. The soak kept removing a faint residue each night, but the actual cloudiness stopped changing much. The covers no longer looked dirty, and they had a slightly brighter finish, but they did not continue getting dramatically clearer after the first several rounds.
I also noticed that the top portion nearest where the bulb sits remained stubbornly foggy. That told me the damage was probably from long-term UV exposure and heat aging, not something a denture tablet and a drink mix could fully undo. In family terms, this was the point where I told myself, “We’re cleaning, not performing a miracle.”
7. Days 8 through 10: the final result
By day 10, I had reached the finish line, and I’d say the overall improvement was moderate but limited. The covers were cleaner, brighter, and somewhat less yellow. I’d estimate they looked about 25% better than when I started. At night, when the bulbs were on, the light looked a little less dim and a little more even.
What did not happen is just as important: the plastic did not return to clear, like-new condition. The cloudy oxidation stayed visible, especially in bright daylight. If you’re hoping for a full restoration on old sun-damaged plastic, this method is probably going to disappoint you. If your goal is “make them presentable for another season,” it can help.
8. The good news: no warping, cracking, or sticky residue
One thing I watched closely was whether repeated soaking would damage the covers. Mine did not warp, soften, craze, or become tacky after 10 overnight treatments. That was a relief. The surface stayed smooth, and there was no chalky residue once I rinsed them well.
That said, all plastics are not the same. Some are acrylic, some are polycarbonate, and some are lower-grade molded plastics used in budget fixtures. If I were advising a friend, I’d say test this method on one cover first, especially if your fixture is newer or more expensive. I would not start with a full set unless you’re comfortable taking that small risk.
9. The smell and mess factor
I’ll be honest: the mixture smelled a little strange. Not awful, just a combination of minty-clean from the Efferdent and tart artificial lemon from the drink mix. It was much less harsh than bleach, which I appreciated, especially in a busy kitchen where somebody is always asking for cereal or trying to unload backpacks onto the counter.
Cleanup was easy. I poured the used solution down the drain, rinsed the dishpan, and wiped the sink. There was no staining from the lemonade powder, and no slippery film left behind. From a practical family-life standpoint, this was not a fussy or high-maintenance project. The biggest hassle was simply remembering to repeat it every night.
10. What I think actually improved
Based on what I saw, I think the Efferdent did the heavy lifting on loosening old residue, while the citric acid in the Crystal Light may have helped a bit with mineral haze and surface dullness. The combination seemed to clean beyond what dish soap alone did, especially on the inside of the covers and around the ridges where grime likes to settle.
What it did not do was reverse years of UV damage. Once plastic starts oxidizing and yellowing through its full surface layer, you’re often looking at a material problem, not just a cleaning problem. That distinction matters because it helps set expectations. This felt like a deep clean plus a mild brightening treatment, not a full restoration.
11. Would I do it again?
Yes, but with a shorter timeline. If I were doing this again, I would soak the covers for 2 to 3 nights, not 10. Most of the visible improvement happened early. After that, the returns were very small. For me, nights 1 through 4 gave the best payoff for the effort.
If I had company coming, a graduation party, or one of those summer cookouts where everybody somehow ends up on the porch by sunset, I’d absolutely use this trick to freshen up dingy light covers. It’s inexpensive, gentle compared to stronger chemicals, and easy enough to do while cleaning up after dinner.
12. Who this method is best for
This is best for homeowners with plastic covers that are dirty, mildly yellowed, or lightly clouded from hard water, bugs, dust, and weather. It’s also a good option if you’re trying to avoid abrasive scrubbing that might scratch the surface even more. If your fixture still has decent structural plastic and just looks tired, this can buy you some time.
It is not the best fix for deeply oxidized, brittle, heavily cracked, or severely yellowed covers. In those cases, replacement is usually the smarter use of time. I know that’s not as fun as a homemade fix, but sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is stop battling a part that’s simply worn out.
13. What I’d try next for even better results
If I wanted to push the experiment a little further, my next step would be a plastic polish made for headlights or clear outdoor plastics. Those products are designed specifically for oxidation and usually involve a cleaner plus a polishing compound or sealant. A basic kit runs around $10 to $25, which is still cheaper than replacing multiple fixture covers.
I would also consider applying a UV-protective plastic treatment after cleaning, especially on south- or west-facing fixtures that get hammered by afternoon sun. In my experience, once outdoor plastic starts to fail, prevention becomes just as important as cleaning. It’s a little like putting leftovers away before dinner is even fully over: not glamorous, but it saves trouble later.
14. My final verdict
After 10 nights of soaking plastic outdoor light covers in Efferdent tablets and Crystal Light lemonade powder, the result was real but modest. The covers came out cleaner, a bit brighter, and somewhat less yellow, with no visible damage from the treatment. They did not come out looking new, and the deeper cloudiness remained.
If you’re hoping for a cheap refresh, I’d call this worth trying. If you’re hoping for a total comeback, I’d keep your expectations low and your screwdriver handy in case replacement ends up being the real answer. In our house, I’m counting this as a small win: the porch looks better, the lights glow a little clearer, and I satisfied my curiosity without spending much more than the cost of a weeknight pizza.
