Headlights are one of the most crucial parts of your automobile since they allow you to see anything when driving in the dark.
Since a result, it’s critical that you clean them on a regular basis, as even a little coating of filth may have a significant influence on the brightness of your headlights.
Cleaning your car’s headlights is a very simple task, and there are a variety of methods available – even toothpaste may be used to remove any built-up layers of muck and filth. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about keeping your car’s headlights clean.
Why are clean headlights required?
Keeping your car’s headlights as clean as possible is critical for safety. The more dirt that collects in your car’s headlights, the less efficient they will be at illuminating the road ahead. Depending on how much filth is covering your car’s headlight lenses, it may also make it more difficult for approaching cars and other road users to see you.
If your car’s headlights are particularly filthy, the police may pull you over and issue you an on-the-spot fine if they believe your lights to be a severe safety threat.
How to clean headlights
Using Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Headlights
A vinegar and baking soda mix is an excellent way to clean your headlights.
Cleaning hazy headlights with baking soda and vinegar is an excellent do-it-yourself project. Vinegar may be used to dissolve grime, grease, and debris. Cleaning with vinegar is also good for the environment. This method works well on oxidized or very clouded headlights. This approach is used to clear cloudy headlights.
What You’ll Need:
- Clean microfiber cloths
- Car wash soap
- Distilled white vinegar
- Box of baking soda
- Clean container
- Wash your headlights using car wash soap and water using a clean towel. Allow for a few minutes of air drying before proceeding to the next stage.
- In a clean container, combine two parts distilled white vinegar and one part baking soda. To blend, stir or shake the mixture.
- Dip a microfiber cleaning cloth into the mixture. Spend a few minutes rubbing it onto each headlight. If necessary, add extra cleaning solution as you go.
- Allow your headlights to air dry after rinsing them with clean water. If required, repeat the preceding process, washing your headlights after each application of the mixture.
Toothpaste for Cleaning Headlights
Toothpaste has moderate abrasive properties that are useful for cleaning headlights.
One efficient approach for clearing hazy headlights is something you use every morning. Toothpaste works just as well as typical auto detailing materials for cleaning headlights. It’s somewhat abrasive, making it ideal for removing the residue that causes the headlights to dim. When utilizing this DIY headlight cleaning procedure, allow roughly five minutes per headlight.
What You’ll Need
- Car wash soap
- Masking tape
- Disposable gloves
- Car washing cloths
- Toothpaste
- Car wax
- Use soap from your standard vehicle cleaning materials to thoroughly clean your headlights. Allow for a few minutes of air drying before proceeding to the next stage.
- Masking tape the regions surrounding your headlights. This will protect the paint and plastic portions of your vehicle from the somewhat abrasive drying toothpaste.
- Wear disposable gloves and dab a moist cleaning cloth with toothpaste. Rub each headlamp vigorously, gradually applying toothpaste and little quantities of water. Spend approximately five minutes on each light to get the desired look.
- Clean water should be used to rinse each headlamp. Allow them to dry completely before polishing each headlight with a clean cloth.
- Apply a small amount of car wax to your headlights. This will protect them and keep them looking clear longer.
Window cleaner and car polish are used to clean headlights.
Before cleaning, use masking tape to cover the regions surrounding the headlights.
When it comes to clearing hazy headlights, window cleaner or glass cleaner works well. The window cleaner will be used to prepare the headlight surface for the application of automobile polish. In terms of preference, ammonia-free window cleaning solutions are equally as effective as ammonia-containing ones.
What You’ll Need:
- Clean microfiber cloths
- Masking tape
- Disposable gloves
- Window cleaner
- Automotive polish
- Car buffer (optional)
- Car wax
- Bucket of water
- Mask off the regions surrounding the headlights using masking tape. During cleaning, this will preserve the trim, paint, and plastic parts.
- Allow a substantial amount of window cleaner to soak into the headlight for a few seconds. Wipe the window cleaner off the headlight using a microfiber towel.
- Apply the polish with another cloth and massage the surface of the headlamp hard in a circular motion. You may also apply the wax swiftly and evenly with a rotary vehicle buffer and polisher.
- Remove any extra polish with a fresh microfiber cloth and dry the headlamp.
- To prevent future clouding, apply a layer of auto wax to your clean and repaired headlight.
Will windshield washers keep my headlights clean?
Many new automobiles are equipped with built-in headlight washers, which often take the shape of a retractable nozzle that shoots out from the front bumper and squirts water over the headlight. While they can assist remove loose dirt from your car’s headlights, they aren’t as good at removing thicker layers of muck and filth that have accumulated on the lens.
Remember that in order for your headlamp washes to be successful, they must be in good functioning order – for example, the nozzle jets themselves might become blocked with dirt. As a reason, it’s important to inspect your headlight washers on a regular basis.
What more can I do to keep my headlights blazing?
Regularly inspecting your vehicle is a smart approach to verify that your headlights are in good functioning order. You don’t even need to be handy with a set of tools to do this – even if you can’t fix any faults you find, checking sure your headlights and other components of your car are operating as intended is one tiny step you can take to maintain your car roadworthy.
It also goes without saying that, because vehicle shampoos are excellent at cleaning headlights, it’s well worth giving them a good scrub everytime you wash your car.
After all, if you’re already cleaning the rest of the car, why not make sure your headlights are clean as well?
While you’re cleaning your car, ensure sure there’s no dirt concealing other safety-critical components like your license plate, door mirrors, wiper blades, and windows. As with headlights, if they are excessively dirty, they can represent a safety danger, and the police have the authority to punish you if your automobile is in an unsafe state.
If your vehicle has any cameras or sensors for driving aids such as cruise control or parking assist, keep these clean as well. This is because any debris concealing them may prevent them from functioning properly, which isn’t ideal from a safety aspect.
