Acrylic (Lucite) is a very durable material and should last a long time. You can still find vintage acrylic furniture from the 1940’s that looks great next to today’s pieces and even better compared to people from that time. Although acrylic resembles glass there are a couple major differences you should be aware of. Acrylic furniture will not shatter like glass, it can be chipped if hit hard enough but generally will not shatter into sharp enough shards to physically harm you. Like glass, acrylic furniture will scratch. Unlike glass, acrylic furniture can be polished out if it is scratched. Since nobody wants to spend their time polishing their new acrylic furniture there are a couple of things to be aware of when cleaning your pieces.
Use a soft cotton cloth or chamois to remove smudges and fingerprints. Never use a paper towel, abrasive cloth, synthetic cloth, or scouring pad.
Use either a mixture of warm water and mild soap (good) or a specifically labeled plastic cleaner (best). Do not use glass cleaners, ammonia, alcohol, or any other solvents on your acrylic furniture.(bad)
Avoid cleaning your acrylic / lucite furniture if it is hot or has been sitting in the direct sunlight. Although not a likely situation this can leave spots on your beautiful acrylic furniture.
In short, just keep a soft cotton cloth on hand and you will keep your acrylic furniture looking like the day we finished polishing it.
