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Foggy headlights aren’t only an eyesore, but they can actually affect how effective your car is at lighting the road ahead at night. So, if you notice that your headlights have gone white, yellowish, or simply foggy – it is time for a cleaning.
Now, you could take your car to a professional and have them clean it, but why pay someone else $20 for something you can do on your own in less than half an hour, right? Right. Let’s learn how to do it then.
1. For Mild To Medium Fogginess – Use Toothpaste
The easiest way to clean your headlight is by using regular toothpaste. To be fair, this will only work if your headlights are moderately foggy, but still – it’ll work.
Start by washing your headlights with soap and water. You can mix the two in a sprayer bottle and just spray and clean your headlights to remove any dirt, dust or debris from them.
Once you do that, grab a piece of smooth, cleaning cloth, add a generous amount of toothpaste to it, and start rubbing it in. You’ll want to smear the toothpaste in a thick, even coat all over your headlights and leave it there for about ten minutes. And also, don’t forget to add water while smearing the paste.
After ten minutes, rinse out the toothpaste and clean the headlights with soap and water. If you want this to stick, you can polish your headlamp with car wax to add a thin protective layer.
2. For Medium To Severe Fogginess – Use Sandpaper And Polish
We asked our friends at On Cars Review what can we do if the toothpaste wasn’t working, and they told us – to sand it down. At first, we were like, “You’re joking, right?” but then they explained to us what to do, and then we were like – “You guys know your cars”.
So, here’s how you treat foggy to very foggy headlights.
Once again, you’ll start by cleaning the headlights with water and soap. The process is the same as earlier, so there’s no need to repeat it.
Now, for the so-so foggy headlamps, you’ll want to apply the car polish onto them. Grab a low-lint cloth and car polish, and really rub it in for at least five minutes. It’ll be a workout – but it’ll be worth it.
When you finish, clean the headlamps with soap and water, apply a protective wax layer to prevent future damage, and you’re set.
3. However, if that’s not cutting it – do this
Clean the headlight with soap and water, and then grab 400 grit sandpaper and just sand the headlight. One thing you’ll want to do is soak the sandpaper and sand in the same direction at all times. Once the headlamp’s all rough – switch to 1000 grit paper and keep going. When done, switch to 2,500 or 3,000 grit sandpaper and smooth out the headlight.
Once the headlights are all sanded down, grab a car polish and rub it in for about five minutes. Once the headlights become shiny again – wash them, apply the protective wax, and you’re done. Your headlamps should be as good as new.
Conclusion:
Pretty simple, right? These little DIY cleaning jobs will save you some money, and it can’t hurt to get a little workout in, so why not try it? Let us know how it goes.
