Don't waste your time and effort trying to clean your shutters, especially if they are quite faded. I cleaned my shutters 3 times with a scrub brush, then a nylon scrubby pad, then lightly with a stainless steel scrubber; using the cleaning solution as recommended and then undiluted. The surface chalk did not come off. I finally needed to put on 2 coats of the second solution. It did look better, but better from where I started was not acceptable. I purchased new shutters and installed them myself.

This is amazing! The shutters really had a lot of chalk on them, wish I had a power washer....the cleaner didn't do a whole bunch, I had to use a magic eraser and loads of elbow grease. BUT, the shutter renu was like magic! I spread it like suntan lotion - it comes out looking like glue/suntan lotion, but when you spread it, it kinda seeps into the shutter and disappears. So, it took about 20-25 minutes to 'paint' each shutter until the white liquid was gone, but then the shutter looked amazing. The shutters look more deep maroon than when we first bought them! Won't know if it lasts 10 years for another 10 years...but it looks great right now!

The cleaner did take off some of the oxidation but not as much as I was expecting, so I was concerned that this product was going to be a dud. I started with an abrasive sponge, then hard bristled scrub brush, then bought a Dremel electric scrub brush, but still did not get very impressive results with the cleaner. However, when I applied two coats of the milky "paint," the improvement was dramatic. Our house looks significantly better, and the effort was definitely worth it.

We have 18 shutters, half of which are extra tall. It took several days to clean them all and apply two coats of the milky "paint." I used a bristle brush and was probably being more careful than I needed to be about foaming and streaks, considering that no one will see the shutters up close anyway. I hope that the results actually last for several years as promised....

Photo shows 3 shutters. Left is before, center is after cleaner, and right is after 2 coats of the milky "paint."

I am updating my review from a year ago (listed below). A year has come and gone and my shutters still look fantastic! I wish everything I buy would exceed expectations the way this stuff does. I am so impressed with it that I decided to update my review after a year of living with the results. You will not be disappointed.

(Previous review) I am beyond amazed! I bought this a year before I got around to using it. I was half expecting it to no longer work due to chemical breakdown. My shutters were 14 years old and had never been painted or treated. I had had the house pressure washed a year ago and whatever cleaner they used, dulled the finish of the shutters. While mine still looked better than most in the neighborhood because they don't get direct sun, they were faded. I was content to leave them alone until someone bought the house across the street and painted their shutters the same color as mine. That really made mine look poor in comparison. The type of shutters the builder used on all the homes in the neighborhood are no longer available, so that left me with two options: paint or try to find new shutters of approximately the same size and pay to have them professionally installed. I saw all the reviews for this product and figured I had nothing to lose but $80. I cleaned them with the cleaning solution in the morning and then in the afternoon started to apply the Renu Restorer. I was careful to avoid bubbles based on other reviewers' advice. I only had 4 shutters so by the time I finished the fourth shutter, it was time to apply a second coat on the first shutter. (Renu recommends waiting 30 minutes between coats). Since I only had 4 shutters I went ahead and applied 3 coats. With each coat the appearance improved. Well, not only do they look better than the freshly painted shutters across the street, they look better than they did when they were new. I half expected them to lose their luster after a few days or the recent hard rains, but NO they still look fantastic. I have actually gone out several times and stood in my front yard to admire them. I can't believe how much the appearance of my house was improved. I know it is warrantied for ten years but if the effect lasts half that long I will consider myself to have gotten my money's worth. In fact I will probably apply this every 3 years just to keep them looking so fantastic. One unexpected bonus. I had leftover cleaner. Fourteen years ago I foolishly used duct tape to attach Christmas lights to the white columns on my porch. The residue is still there despite multiple efforts to clean it off with a wide variety of cleaners. Even pressure washing didn't remove it. I figured I would have to hire someone to paint over the stains and the tape residue. Just for fun I tried the leftover cleaner and WOW! The residue and old stains came right off and the columns look as good as they did when the house was built. I also touched up stained areas on the vinyl siding that the pressure washing did not remove and it made the siding look brand new. I have already started recommending it to my neighbors. This is great stuff!

Shutter Renu exceeded my expectations. I applied this product to shutters a year ago and they still look as good as the day they were restored. This saved me the cost of new shutters, the effort to install them, and new holes in old siding that already has numerous holes from previous shutter replacements. I'm very satisfied with this product and have recommended it to friends and neighbors.

The shutters are roughly 20 years old, an eggplant color that had faded severely (an embarrassment, really), but the application restored them to a new appearance. Some advice: I put the Shutter Renu solution in a plastic cottage cheese container to apply with a cheap brush that I purchased from a dollar store. The solution seemed to "etch" the finish off the inside of the container, producing white "stringy" material. This didn't cause any problems with the application, but a disposable glass container may be a better choice. The brush held up well, and was reusable. The instructions state to not let the solution bubble during application. I wasn't able to prevent it from bubbling, and was a bit concerned during the application process, but it had no adverse effects on the outcome. I couldn't be happier with the results. This product does what it claims and the results are relatively permanent.