Thank you for this extensive explanation on Pledge, Armor All etc.!
Years ago I found Silicone Oil being a main ingedient of such mixtures. As I learned in materials science, silicone oil can severely harm the durability of many plastics. The tensile strength of silicone treated fabrics like polyamide (Nylon) is easily cut by a half, compared to its natural state. Some plastics, like polypropylene, might even break from internal stresses under influence of silicone oil. Some plastics seem not to be affected that much, but in any case you will have a hard time if ever you would try to glue or paint anything that came near a bottle of silicone oil, ever. Stickers will not stick anymore, also. There are some chemicals called "silicone remover" in the market, sold to prepare carbodies prior to a paint job, but they will help only halfways and most likely damage plastics like ABS. There is nearly no way to get this silicone oil completely removed from a surface, once contaminated. Usually the benefit of such silicone oil treatment will not exceed the trouble you get in case of a need for real repair jobs, that include deep cleaning or glueing of broken parts. As an addition the silicone oil will spread from the tretated surface to anything else nearby, just by the touch of hands. This holds true for a dashboard in a vintage car as well as for your Mac. Take care.
Years ago I found Silicone Oil being a main ingedient of such mixtures. As I learned in materials science, silicone oil can severely harm the durability of many plastics. The tensile strength of silicone treated fabrics like polyamide (Nylon) is easily cut by a half, compared to its natural state. Some plastics, like polypropylene, might even break from internal stresses under influence of silicone oil. Some plastics seem not to be affected that much, but in any case you will have a hard time if ever you would try to glue or paint anything that came near a bottle of silicone oil, ever. Stickers will not stick anymore, also. There are some chemicals called "silicone remover" in the market, sold to prepare carbodies prior to a paint job, but they will help only halfways and most likely damage plastics like ABS. There is nearly no way to get this silicone oil completely removed from a surface, once contaminated. Usually the benefit of such silicone oil treatment will not exceed the trouble you get in case of a need for real repair jobs, that include deep cleaning or glueing of broken parts. As an addition the silicone oil will spread from the tretated surface to anything else nearby, just by the touch of hands. This holds true for a dashboard in a vintage car as well as for your Mac. Take care.