[jonas8732]

100% polyester white fabric is a slightly transparent fabric. Does this fabric provide good protection to prevent plastic and rubber from drying out and breaking in electronic devices?

Is the sunlight that dries out plastic and rubber in electronic devices any light, even indirect light that is deflected and enters homes?

[Borek]

Does this fabric provide good protection

No.

[jonas8732]

because? cotton or polyester fabric is better?

[marquis]

Try widening your search slighly.  Instead of searching for polyester, try searching for the polymer its made of.  This is Polyethylene terephthalate. Its often abbreviated PET or pete.  It can be molded into many shapes. Don't know if it will help, but its worth a try.  Good luck!

[jonas8732]

I don't know of an easy-to-find fabric that is good for protecting the plastic and rubber of devices from drying out

I had read on Google that polyester was good

[marquis]

Why do you think the rubber and plastics are drying out?  What kind of stuff are you seeing?  Thanks.

[marquis]

Quick answer is, if you've got something quick, and cheap, why not try it out?  There are many longer answers if you want longer research answers.  When you get to that point, let me know.

[jonas8732]

What is the main cause of dryness in plastic and rubber in electronic devices?

[marquis]

That's the problem.  It depends on the polymers used.  Without knowing more,.only general answers can be given .  For example, it could be continued crosslinking, it could be loss of plasticizer, you get the idea. As a first pass, you can try putting a drop of mineral oil on an unused part of the device.  Work it in.  And give it some time.  It.may or may not work.  And it may or may not work on all of the parts of the electronic device.  For example, one part maybe made of black rubber, where it might work.  On the other hand, a drop of mineral oil on some plastics might not work.  It depends on the type of plastic or rubber.  Also note that sometimes they can be dissolved by oil.  Not likely,.but be careful.  That is why you should only go a small drop at a time.

[jonas8732]

Does any type of fabric protect against drying out of plastic and rubber due to UV lamps or indirect sunlight?

I think electronics use ABS plastic but I don't know what type of rubber they use.

[Corribus]

There are a number of UV-protective fabrics on the market. Whether or not they have been evaluated for your intended purpose, I do not know. They certainly cannot hurt. But honestly the the best way to protect plastics from photoinduced damage is just to keep them in the dark to the extent possible. Glass windows also block most of the harder UV rays from the sun, so diffuse/scattered/indirect sunlight in most inside areas will not noticeably degrade plastics over meaningful timescales.

I'm not really sure what you're hoping for here, but plastic components in consumer products should be OK for years as long as you're not keeping them under a black light or on a windowsill in direct beating sunlight for hours every day. My Nintendo GameCube has been stored in a dark closet for 25(?) years and it still looks and works fine.

The bigger point is that you can never protect anything 100% from degradation - even if you could make a barrier 100% impenetrable to UV light, there are still enough trace levels of ozone, atmospheric free radicals, and radioactivity sources (radon, potassium, uranium) hanging around that ensure that slow chemical degradation of everything (including humans) is inevitable. There's a guy who comes back here every few months fretting about the longevity of a diamond ring that holds some sentimental value to him. Can we calculate how long it will last? Are you sure it will not oxidize? How can I protect it? And you are not the first person who has dropped by stressing over degradation of high value electronics components. The fact is that unless you abuse these things, they will last a long time. Even so: Diamonds oxidize, polymers degrade, people get cancer, stars runs out of fuel, and the universe will die a slow, depressing heat death. Entropy always wins.

[jonas8732]

What is the estimated lifespan of ABS plastic and rubber electronic devices kept indoors covered only by a transparent white 100% polyester fabric?

The lifespan I am referring to is them cracking and breaking

[Borek]

What is the estimated lifespan of ABS plastic and rubber electronic devices kept indoors covered only by a transparent white 100% polyester fabric?

You were told many times in the past (when you registered using different nicks), that there is no way to answer such questions, as there are way too many varying factors.

The only sure way is experimental. Wait and see.

I am locking the topic, as it is starting to go in the same spiral of questions that can't be answered, and answers that are ignored.