Our back yard table came to us through craigslist five or six years ago, our apartment neighbor who tended the yard before me picked it up.

Green, plastic and used for everything – it’s fading and drying out in the sun.  Something greasy settled into it a few weeks ago and I set out to clean it with dish soap today.

After scrubbing it, rubbing it and hosing it down, the largest grease spot that inspired this industrious cleaning was no longer greasy and became the best-looking swath on the old table top.

Ah ha!

I ran upstairs and grabbed the canola oil.

How To Restore Plastic Outdoor Furniture with Oil

1.  Own or inherit worn-out and weathered plastic patio furniture.

2.  Hose it down and dry it off.

3.  Rub it down with mineral oil (preferred) or canola oil (long-term results unknown but it looks good now).

4.  Let it soak in (I let it set in the sun for an hour).

5.  Thriftyfun.com doesn’t wash off the mineral oil but I washed away the canola oil with a soapy rag and water.

6.  Enjoy your slightly-better-looking plastic furniture!

Oh my gosh.  Our weather-beaten plastic table looks five years younger.

Well, except for the wax stains, glue drips and cat scratches.  I’m quite pleased.