How To Clean Headlights Using Vinegar – Detailed DIY Guide (2024)

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Headlights are an important part of every car as they play a major role in visibility when driving. Having foggy or cloudy headlight cover can hinder or limit the amount of light that a headlight produces which is why the moment you discover that your headlights have turned foggy them you should clean or wash immediately. This is where our how to clean headlights using vinegar review comes in.

Cloudy or foggy headlights is one common problem that every vehicle headlight tends to have and here is something that you should know about cloudy or foggy headlights, they can make a vehicle’s headlight to look quite unattractive and what’s more, they could also lead to accidents because being in such state tends to obstruct or hinder driver’s visibility.

For this reason, cleaning headlights is very necessary whether they are being cleaned with vinegar or with other household cleaning agents.

How To Clean Headlights Using Vinegar

Car headlights that come in form of tempered Polycarbonate plastic covers regardless of the fact that they are considered to be extremely stable are also naturally porous and there is a protective film that is used in covering up this plastic. As a result of constant exposure to ultraviolet rays as well as a build-up of grime, this protective film tends to degrade and there is also oxidization of the polycarbonate material which in turn leads to cloudiness.

However, there are lots of commercial products that one can make use of in cleaning up headlights that are oxidized but making use of home remedies has proved to be very effective, safe and also cheap when compared to other means of washing oxidized headlights. One of the safe, cheap and effective ways of cleaning up foggy headlights is by using vinegar.

The first thing that everyone must do before washing or cleaning a foggy or cloudy headlight is cleaning the headlight using soapy water and dish soap and this is done so as to get rid of grime. White vinegar can also be used in restoring cloudy or foggy headlights. Having grime and dust on the surface of headlight can make driving at night extremely difficult and this is how cleaning using vinegar is done.

The do it yourself materials that you would need includes a clean dusting cloth, microfiber cloth, spray bottle, water and white vinegar. The dust on the surface of the headlight should be wiped off using the dusting cloth while three parts of water should be combined with a part of the white vinegar in a bowl. To make this cleaning easy, the mixture or solution should be poured into a spray bottle and then spray on the foggy headlight.

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For effective cleaning experience, the solution should be thoroughly sprayed on every part of the headlight and allowed to soak for a period of about five minutes. Allowing it to soak for about five minutes would ensure that every dirt gets loosened up and the solution should be wiped in a circular motion using a clean microfiber cloth.

If it happens that the yellowing stain on the headlight cover doesn’t get wiped off then the headlight should be washed using vinegar mixture and also baking soda.

Cleaning Up Car Headlights Using Vinegar Wax

This is a welcomed method because you don’t necessarily have to go to a car wash just to wash your headlight cover when you can easily get it done yourself at home. Making use of vinegar in making a wax can also be used in cleaning up faded or foggy headlights and here is the most interesting part of making use of vinegar wax on a foggy headlight, they ensure that future fogginess or cloudiness doesn’t occur.

What you would need in preparing this mixture includes;

  1. Soft clean cloth
  2. Four tablespoons of carnauba wax
  3. One cup of linseed oil
  4. Half cup of cider vinegar
  5. White vinegar
  6. Two tablespoons of beeswax

The carnauba wax, linseed oil, beeswax, and cider vinegar should be mixed in a bowl and heated. The heating process is done so as to make this a homogenous mixture and after heating, the mixture should be allowed to cool for about thirty minutes. After cooling, the mixture should be applied on the foggy headlight in a circular motion using a clean cloth and after application, it should be allowed to stay on for about five minutes before getting wiped off using a soft and clean towel.

Cleaning Headlight Using Vinegar and Baking Soda

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When cleaning up foggy headlights, making use of household ingredients is usually the best option or choice anyone can make and it is also interesting

to let you know that of all the uses that baking soda has, cleaning up foggy headlights is one of them. All that is required is for you to prepare a baking soda and vinegar solution either by preparing them in combination or each solution on its own. The only downside of this method is its results are not long-lasting.

The ingredients required in making this solution includes one part baking soda, a spray bottle, paper towel or a clean cloth and two parts of white vinegar. The white vinegar and baking soda should be mixed in a measuring bowl so as to create a foam and a clean cloth should be dipped into this mixture and used in cleaning up the foggy headlight. The cleaning pattern should be done in a circular motion so as to ensure it is well spread.

After cleaning up the headlight cover using this solution, water should be poured into a spray bottle and used to rinse off this solution from the headlight. The water should be wiped away using a paper towel or a microfiber cloth until the baking soda is totally wiped off and if after cleaning the yellowing stain or fogginess still remains then the process should be repeated.

Conclusion

All the methods discussed above are simple, safe, effective and cheaper ways that one can easily get rid of fogginess or cloudiness from headlights and we advise that you should carefully read through all of the methods so you can be able to find that process or method which would be suitable or ideal for you.