How to Clean & Polish Acrylic Gifts: A Complete Care Guide (Plus How We Make Them)
Everything you need to know about how personalised acrylic gifts are made, polished, and cared for — so yours stays crystal-clear for years.
Why acrylic makes such a good keepsake
Acrylic (also known as PMMA, or by brand names like Perspex® and Plexiglas®) has become one of the most popular materials for personalised gifts — and for good reason. It's optically clearer than glass, roughly 30 times more impact-resistant, and it weighs about half as much. That's why we use it across our range of personalised acrylic plaques, photo blocks, keychains, night lights, book vases, and jar keepsakes.
But there's a trade-off. Acrylic is softer than glass, which means it scratches more easily and needs different care. Get the care right and it stays crystal-clear for decades. Get it wrong — wipe it with a rough kitchen cloth, or spray it with the wrong cleaner — and you'll see hairline scratches or a cloudy haze appear within weeks.
That's why this guide covers both sides: how we polish and finish acrylic in production, and how you should clean and maintain it at home.
Part 1: How we polish acrylic gifts in production
1. Cutting and shaping
Every acrylic gift starts as a flat sheet or block, either clear or with a specific tint. We cut each piece to size using a laser cutter or a CNC router, depending on the design. Straight lines and simple curves go to the laser (which gives a naturally polished edge); more complex shapes go to the CNC, which leaves a rougher edge that needs finishing.
2. Edge sanding
CNC-cut edges get sanded through a progression of grits — typically 240, 400, 800, then 1200 — to remove any tool marks. Each pass smooths the surface a little more and reduces the depth of scratches from the previous pass. Skip a grit and you'll see it in the finish.
3. Flame polishing (for clear edges)
For a fully transparent edge finish, we use flame polishing. A precise hydrogen or oxy-propane flame is passed quickly across the sanded edge, melting the very top layer of acrylic just enough to smooth it into a glass-like finish. Done right, this produces the crystal-clear edge you see on our photo blocks and clear plaques. Done wrong, it produces bubbling, crazing, or micro-cracks — which is why we don't recommend attempting it at home.
4. Buffing and polishing compound
For faces and large flat surfaces, we finish with a soft buffing wheel and a plastic-safe polishing compound. This removes any surface haze from handling and brings the acrylic back to its factory shine before printing or engraving.
5. Printing and personalisation
Personalisation is applied last. On most of our acrylic gifts, we use UV printing for full-colour designs and photos, or laser engraving for a frosted-effect name or message on the reverse. Both methods work with polished acrylic because the underlying finish stays intact.
6. Final quality check
Every finished piece is inspected under angled light for scratches, print misalignment, and edge quality before it's packaged in protective film and posted to you. If it doesn't pass, it doesn't ship.
Part 2: How to clean and polish your acrylic at home
Rule 1: Never use glass cleaner
This is the single most important thing to know. Standard household glass cleaners (Windex, Mr Muscle Sparkling Windows, and most branded window sprays) contain ammonia or alcohol. These will craze acrylic — creating tiny fractures across the surface that show up as a permanent milky haze. There is no way to reverse this once it's happened.
Rule 2: Never use paper towels or kitchen roll
Paper products contain tiny wood fibres that are actually harder than acrylic. Wiping with kitchen roll (even damp) will produce fine scratches that dull the shine over time. Same rule applies to microfibre cloths that have picked up grit — always wash cloths before use.
The safe cleaning method
- Rinse first. If there's dust or grit on the surface, rinse it off under a gentle stream of lukewarm water before wiping. Dry particles dragged across the surface cause scratches.
- Use a plastic-safe cleaner. Warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid (Fairy or similar) works well for everyday cleaning. For more thorough cleaning, use a dedicated acrylic cleaner like Novus No. 1 or Vu-Plex.
- Apply with a clean, soft microfibre cloth. Ideally one washed without fabric softener (softener leaves a residue).
- Wipe in one direction. Straight strokes rather than circles avoid trapping any grit into a swirl pattern.
- Dry with a second clean cloth. Don't let it air-dry — water spots dull the finish.
How to polish out light scratches
Very light surface scratches (ones you can feel with a fingernail but only just) can be polished out at home:
- Clean the surface first using the method above.
- Apply a pea-sized amount of Novus No. 2 (a fine-cut acrylic polish) to a clean microfibre cloth.
- Rub gently in small circles over the scratched area, using medium pressure, for about 30 seconds.
- Wipe clean with a fresh cloth. Repeat if needed.
- Finish with Novus No. 1 to restore the shine.
Deep scratches (ones you can catch a fingernail in) usually need professional polishing or a heavier abrasive (Novus No. 3), followed by re-polishing. Attempting this at home without practice often makes things worse, so if you're unsure, it's safer to leave it.
Where to display acrylic safely
- Out of direct sunlight if possible. Modern acrylic is UV-stabilised and won't yellow like older grades, but strong direct sun over years can still dull the finish. A bookshelf or a wall away from a south-facing window is ideal.
- Away from radiators and heat sources. Sustained temperatures above 70°C can warp acrylic. Not a normal home problem, but don't sit it directly on top of a radiator.
- Free-standing, not stacked. Acrylic scratches acrylic. If you have multiple pieces, keep them from touching each other.
What NOT to use
- Glass cleaner (ammonia)
- Isopropyl alcohol / white spirit / methylated spirits
- Acetone, nail-polish remover
- Bleach, kitchen degreasers
- Abrasive scouring pads or magic erasers
- Paper towels, kitchen roll, tissues
Quick reference: your acrylic gift care checklist
- ✅ Rinse dust before wiping
- ✅ Warm water + washing-up liquid, or a dedicated acrylic cleaner (Novus, Vu-Plex)
- ✅ Clean microfibre cloth, washed without softener
- ✅ Wipe in straight strokes, dry with a second cloth
- ✅ Novus No. 2 can polish out light scratches
- ❌ No glass cleaner, no alcohol, no acetone
- ❌ No paper towels or scouring pads
- ❌ Not directly on radiators or in intense sun
Look after it properly, and a good acrylic keepsake will still look brand new in ten years. Which is, honestly, the whole point of a keepsake.
Shop personalised acrylic gifts
Browse the full range at Acrylic Gifts, Acrylic Plaques, Acrylic Prints, and Crystal Photo Blocks.
