Home Remedy Hacks For Cleaning Cloudy Car Headlights

When you’re dealing with the UK’s unreliable weather, cloudy car headlights can become both a danger and a hassle.

Whether you’re driving through conditions like rain, fog, snow, or just at night, poor visibility is definitely not what you want.

Unfortunately, cloudy headlights are a common issue for many drivers. Your headlights’ protective coating gets worn away by debris kicked up from the road, and the constant UV rays of the sun.

Though you can take your headlights in to be replaced or repaired professionally, there’s plenty of quick methods you can try yourself first. Here, we take a look at all home remedy hacks for cleaning your foggy headlights, using just the products in your cupboard.

What household items can I use to clean my headlights?

When you finish washing your car, you might find that it doesn’t quite look as good as it should. Particularly with glass or headlights, they can often lack the sheen that you get with your paintwork. 

On top of the poor visibility you’ll have, cloudy or ineffective headlights can result in an MOT fail. 

Most guides on how to wash a car focus chiefly on the paintwork. This just doesn’t have as good results for your headlights, as they need some extra attention to be brought back to life.

Fortunately, cleaning your headlights doesn’t require any professional products. You can do it all yourself with items you’re likely to have stored in your kitchen. We’ll run through all the products you can use, and how to apply them for the best results.

Toothpaste 

You’ve probably heard of about 100 different toothpaste hacks, and all the problems it can step up and ‘fix’. But here’s one hack you should actually listen to.

If your headlights are looking foggy and feeling gritty, a baking soda toothpaste can have them sparkling again in no time.

1. Opt for a paste rather than gel toothpaste. The slight grit will help clear away worked-in dirt better than the lather of a gel.
2. Cover your headlights in the toothpaste and rub it in.
3. Using a toothbrush or soft bristled cleaning brush, brush thoroughly over your headlights.
4. Rinse off with warm water and wipe clean.

Baking Soda and Vinegar 

A tried and tested product for at home cleaning, baking soda likely features in just about every ‘home remedy’ article you’ve ever read. Fortunately, it’s for good reason.

This baking soda and vinegar mixture will have your headlights gleaming in just a few steps:

1. Using a spray bottle, mix vinegar and water to clean off any residue.
2. Now mix vinegar in a separate container using a 2:1 ratio for the vinegar and baking soda respectively. The mixture may bubble slightly, however is entirely safe to use.
3. With a clean microfiber cloth, apply the solution to your headlights. 
4. Using circular motions, work the mixture into the headlights.
5. With water and a clean microfiber cloth, wipe off any remaining solution.

WD 40 

You might have used it for that squeaky door or to loosen the odd bolt here and there, but WD40 also has pretty great cleaning power. Along with some other household items, you can use it to clean off your headlights.

1. With a wet cloth or paper towel, clean off any lingering chunks of dirt, bugs, or bird poop on your car.
2. With the toothpaste or baking soda and vinegar solution from the previous methods, apply to the headlights and clean with a soft bristle brush or toothbrush.
3. Wipe clean with a microfiber cloth.
4. Buff the headlights in circular motions with the WD40 until they’re shining.

Coca-Cola 

If you’ve decided to ditch the sugary stuff, there’s no need to let it go to waste. The phosphoric acid in Coca-Cola can help remove oxidation from your headlights, and gives it a decent clean. 

1. As it could potentially damage or stain paintwork, it’s best not to pour it on, but decant into a spray bottle and spray directly on the headlights.
2. Let it sit for just less than a minute before using a microfiber cloth to wipe it off.
3. You should see results immediately, but repeat for a deeper clean.
4. With warm water, wipe over the headlights to remove any sticky residue.

Conclusion 

With how easy it is to have your headlights clean and shining, there’s no excuse to be driving with them looking otherwise. 

To keep your whole car in its best condition, include regular cleaning in your car maintenance checklist. Check how often you should wash your car, then just follow our easy guide to washing your car like a pro. With our easy tips, you’ll have  everything from your windscreen to your car seats looking like new.