Sunday, September 30, 2012

Headlight Cleaner

For a long time my husband and I washed our cars at a car wash, which was fine by me.  Then one day my husband came home and announced that we should wash our own cars in the driveway to save money, which was fine by me.

But then he went to the auto store to get cleaning supplies, which was not fine by me.  My husband likes the best of the best so it was no surprise that he came home with 5 star cleaning supplies that cost more then many trips to the car wash.

One of the things he came home with was a headlight lens restorer.  This amazing product cleans dull yellowed headlight lenses.  Why replace when you can restore!

Now, I don't blame him for buying that, our headlight lens were looking pretty dull and yellow, but he obviously hadn't heard of the toothpaste trick.

Using toothpaste to clean headlights is a DIY that I had heard about several times through out the years, but had never tried. After we ran out of the 'amazing must have headlight lens restorer,' I decided to try the toothpaste.

Instructions
using a rag, rub toothpaste all over the headlight until the dirt comes off
clean off the toothpaste with a wet rag

So here is the before shot of the dull yellowed headlight.  Or as I like to call it, the boring chicken headlight, badum tish!



Moving on.... I grabbed one of the million toothpaste samples I have that seem to multiply in my house for some unknown reason, and grabbed an old rag. 

I started to rub the toothpaste on the lens in a circular motion, and naturally I had to say "wax on, wax off" while doing this. (Admit it, you just heard Mr. Miyagi's voice in your head) I couldn't see dirt coming off so I had no idea if the boring chicken was turning into a comedian hawk.  So I just rubbed for a couple minutes until the toothpaste started to get a little dry. I then got a wet rag and it wiped right off.

The verdict: It worked great.  The headlight is so clean now. Look at these before and after photos. 



By the way, the lovely dent you see in the hood..... this is my husbands car. As in, a Man's car, not a Woman's car. So please check your women driver jokes at the door. 
But in his defense, a deer jumped out in front of him.  We assume the deer is fine.

6 comments:

  1. So... I've never even thought of washing my headlights. Ever. I wonder if Esten would notice if I did this :) They look great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will have to tell Mike about this one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tried it, and now I have to get another tube of toothpaste ‘cos I just ran out. Should’ve made sure I had spares. Heh.

    But it does work, so there’s that. Have you tried the baking soda & water mix? It usually is a good grime remover, though you may have to buff it more afterwards.

    Enoch Ross

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't tried baking soda and water mix. I really want to now. I love the toothpaste but it's doesn't last very long. Glad it worked for you.

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the information. I will try it this weekend when I wash my car and interior cleaning as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The best LED headlights live longer than regular headlight bulbs, save battery life, illuminate high ranges, and are bright enough to change the look of your car

    ReplyDelete