Alternative methods for cleaning your headlights
It’s time to clean your car’s headlights because they have a tendency to become foggy and hazy over time, which reduces vision and makes driving at night more hazardous.
A great approach to save money, maintain the appearance of your car, and most importantly, keep you and other road users safe in any situation is to learn how to fix your headlights at home using one or a combination of widely available household items.
The common causes of headlight fog, how to clean headlights using toothpaste, baking soda, and WD50, as well as our best advice for avoiding damage to your car’s headlights, will all be covered in this article.
What causes headlights to fog up?
If you’re a car fanatic like us then you’ll more than likely take great pride in the cleanliness and condition of your vehicle at all times. Unfortunately, even with regular cleaning and detailing your automotive headlights will become fogged or yellow over time leading to dangerous safety issues as well as a possible fine in many states.
But why do headlights get foggy over time? Before we look into some of the best ways to keep your vehicle’s headlights looking good as new here are some of the most common reasons for discolored headlights.
Road damage
Your headlight covers will often take the brunt of flying debris, gravel, stones, and road salt that you drive through on a daily basis, this is one reason why yellowed headlights are often an unavoidable issue for most car owners.
Over time the constant debris hitting your headlights will wear down the topcoat of the polycarbonate which weakens the material and creates scratches and damage that lead to that all too familiar cloudy appearance.
Dirt build up
If your vehicle does a lot of miles then it will very easily develop a layer of chemicals and dirt on the headlight lens which may be surprising if you have recently cleaned your car. Most new headlights will come with a clear topcoat designed to protect the plastic headlight cover from UV light damage.
Unfortunately, over time the material will degrade leading to that yellow/ white color. You may be shocked to know it can also degrade from the chemicals that are present in your car cleaning products.
Sun exposure
Oxidation on your headlights is often caused by exposure to elements, the main cause being sunlight. The clear plastic that makes up your headlight covers can yellow from sun damage in as little as a few years.
Even if you park in the shade and avoid direct sunlight, it is more often an unavoidable process that happens to most headlights today.
Water condensation
It may seem alarming when you take a closer look at your headlights to find there is condensation forming between the layers that you are unable to reach and wipe away.
Although your headlights will be fitted with a watertight sealing to prevent this, like many things in your vehicle daily use will cause wear and tear that can compromise on performance. This is what leads to diminishing light coming from the bulb and can cause serious visibility and safety issues when driving, especially at night or in dark tunnels.
Oxidation
Oxidation is used to describe the reaction oxygen has against many common surfaces such as iron and plastic. The chemical reaction between the two happens when electrons are lost from the product, meaning once the protective top layer is worn from your headlights sunlight and oxygen cause your headlights to oxidate and turn yellow.
How to know if your headlights have deteriorated
There are a few different ways that you may notice that your headlights are not working as they once were.
Not all drivers will notice that there is a problem with their headlights until they take it to a garage for regular service. This is when those pesky lights may leave a dent in their wallets in order to get them back to good working order.
If you regularly drive in low light conditions then you may notice that your once bright and clear lights have lost their spark. This will be because the light passing through the plastic cover is now diminished by the cloudiness or yellowing of the plastic.
The best way to ensure that your headlights are always at their best is to regularly check them for any damage or color change. If when you look at them they have a yellow or cloudy coating then they are no longer doing their job and providing adequate illumination.
How to clean your headlights
Even if you regularly include your headlights in a scheduled cleaning regime, this doesn’t mean they are exempt from becoming yellowed or cloudy over time.
Some car cleaning products won’t work on the polycarbonate in headlights in the same way it would on the rest of your vehicle. This is why we have included this handy list of products most people have around their homes to keep your headlight covers clear and safe.
Restoring headlights with WD40
Before anything else, start by cleaning your headlights with just water to remove any dirt and debris that may be lingering on the headlights. This may seem unnecessary but this will prevent the grit and dirt from causing further damage by scratching your headlights. If you have access to a pressure washer this is an ideal way to remove any lingering dirt on your headlights.
You then need to dry your headlight. You can use a towel, paper, or microfiber cloth but make sure you remove any traces of water and that your lights are clean after this step. We recommend using a microfiber cloth to ensure it soaks up any moisture present.
Make sure your WD40 hasn’t been opened for more than 5 years as after this time it won’t have the same results as a newer can.
You can either spray the WD40 directly onto your headlights and leave it to sit for 60 seconds, or spray it onto a clean cloth and work it into your headlights.
After doing this, wipe your headlights clean to remove any residue and excess products and your headlights should be as clean as the day you got your car! If you find the results aren’t quite what you had hoped for you can repeat this process until your headlights have improved. Make sure you repeat this process for both headlights.
Using toothpaste to clean headlights
You can use any toothpaste for this option, but often whitening tubes of toothpaste with abrasive particles work best to clean your vehicle’s headlights.
- Wash your headlights with a glass cleaner or water and soap to remove any lingering dirt and debris.
- Apply the toothpaste to your headlight using a cloth
- Work the toothpaste into your headlight in small circular motions until it blends in then leave to dry for 5 minutes.
- Repeat the process on your other headlight.
- After 5 minutes (don’t worry if you go over slightly) rinse the lights with glass cleaner or ideally water and buff dry using a microfiber cloth.
How to use baking soda paste on your headlights
Many people use baking soda as a safe and natural cleaning product within their homes. It can be used to clean drains as well as for its deodorizing purpose on carpets and rugs.
You can either mix your baking soda with water or vinegar to apply to your headlights, but ideally, vinegar works best as it forms a foam that will reactively clean your headlights.
- Mix baking soda and water or vinegar to form a paste that is thick enough in texture to stay in place on your headlights and not slide off and prove useless.
- Apply the paste to your headlight using any cloth.
- Work the paste into your headlight in circular motions then leave it to dry for 5 minutes.
- Repeat the process on your other headlight.
- Finally, after 5 minutes rinse the lights with water and buff dry using a microfiber cloth.
How to prevent damaged headlights
The key to preventing yellowing and damaged headlights is to identify the cause of the problem.
Most of the time you can solve this issue by applying a clear topcoat to your headlights once cleaned and keep this topped up every 3 months or more if you do a heavy amount of milage. This topcoat can prevent oxidation and damage from chemicals and debris found on the ground.
If this doesn’t seem to help you may want to reconsider the cleaning products you are using on your vehicle. It may seem unlikely but quite often these products contain strong chemicals that can strip and remove the protective layers on your vehicle’s headlight covers which will lead to damage occurring quicker and increased risk of unsafe driving conditions.
Conclusion
Even with regular cleaning and maintenance your vehicle’s headlights can become cloudy, yellowed, and cause difficult visibility problems in dark conditions. With our helpful tips hopefully, you can now not only clean your headlights with WD40, Toothpaste, and Baking Soda but prevent further damage to the polycarbonate on your headlight covers leading to a more pleasing look to your vehicle.
You can check more articles about car cleaning guides here.