Last Updated on January 30, 2023 by Rose Morah
Looking for a cheap way to clean your foggy or yellow headlights?
This article gives you the most effective and affordable household products that you can use to restore your headlights.
This will help you avoid wasting money on overpriced and ineffective headlight cleaning products.
Related: 3 Best Types Of Car Wash For New Cars (Prevent Paint Damage).
Important things to know before using any headlight cleaning methods
- There are many ways to restore headlights but most don’t last long. Some even last a week.
- Sometimes the products you use to clean your headlights will be ineffective because it also depends on why the headlights are the way they are.
For instance, if the yellowness is due to the sun then it may have gone far. This means that you will need to replace the headlights.
I’d recommend you replace the headlights after you have tried and failed to restore them using the household products recommended in this article.
- Headlight cleaning methods are usually not a long-term solution.
No matter the cleaning method, be sure to polish the headlights and apply UV protective clear paint after cleaning.
This will help prevent your shiny headlights from fading quickly in the sun. Thus, they are able to last long after cleaning.
| NOTE: Restoring headlights means that you are removing the damaged plastic coating on the headlights. That means that you may end up removing the hard factory finish when cleaning the headlights. Therefore, you will have to polish them after cleaning. |
- For the best results when using the methods in this article, you may need to scrub for much longer. But of course, that will also depend on the condition of your headlights.
See also:
How To Keep Car Windows From Fogging Up Without Heat (Best Tips).
How To Keep Car Windows From Fogging Up While Driving & Overnight.
Fast and cheap ways to clean your headlights
N/B: We tested all the below cleaning methods just to find out if they actually work and they all worked well in restoring headlights.
1. Use Baking soda and vinegar paste
You will need:
- Soap, water, and sponge/mitt.
- Masking tape.
- Distilled white vinegar.
- Baking soda.
How to clean your headlights using Baking soda and vinegar paste
- Step 1 – Wash the headlights with soap and clean water then rinse and let it dry.
- Step 2 – Mask the surrounding areas that have paint to protect the paint.
- Step 3 – Make the baking soda and vinegar paste by adding the vinegar to the baking soda. (Note: The mixture will create a chemical reaction).
- Step 4 – Slightly dampen the towel that you will be using to clean the headlights with water.
- Step 5 – Dip the washing cloth into the mixture/paste and start rubbing it on the headlights.
Continue rubbing it in a circular motion as you dip the cloth into the paste.
Rub thoroughly for like 5 minutes, depending on how perfect you want the headlights to look.
- Step 6 – Wash and wipe it off after you’re done.
- Step 7 – Finish up with car wax to make it last longer.
See also:
How To Permanently Get Rid Of Roaches In The Car (Fast & Effectively).
How To Quickly Get Bed Bugs Out Of Your Vehicle.
2. Use lemon/lime
You will need:
- Soap, water, and sponge/mitt.
- Masking tape.
- Lemon/lime.
- Sand paper.
- Dry washing cloth.
How to clean your headlights using Lemon/lime.
There are two effective ways to clean your headlights using lemon/lime.
Method 1:
- Step 1 – Wash the headlights with soap and clean water. Then rinse and let it dry.
- Step 2 – Mask the surrounding areas with masking tape to protect the paint.
- Step 3 – Take a lemon/lime and squeeze it to get the juice.
- Step 4 – Take the lemon/lime juice and put it in a spray bottle.
- Step 5 – Spray the juice on the dry headlights and wash them with fine sandpaper.
As you wash the headlight, use a dry cloth to wipe it and see where it needs more cleaning. This may take up to about 10 minutes.
- Step 6 – When done washing, spray water and wipe it off.
- Step 7 – Finish by applying a protective layer on the cleaned headlights.
Method 2:
You will need to have:
- Soap, water, and sponge/mitt.
- Soft towels and paper towels.
- Lemon/lime.
- Coconut oil.
- Baking soda.
- Car wax.
How to clean your headlights using Lemon/lime and coconut oil
- Step 1 – Repeat steps 1 and 2 above (in method 1).
- Step 2 – Take your lemon/lime and grate it.
- Step 3 – Mix it with coconut oil.
- Step 4 – Add baking soda to the paste and mix it.
- Step 5 – Slightly dampen the towel that you will be using to clean the headlights with water.
- Step 6 – Apply the paste on the foggy headlights and start cleaning the headlights thoroughly.
- Step 7 – When done cleaning, wash the paste off and apply a protective layer.
3. Use toothpaste and baking soda
You will need the following:
- Soap, water, and sponge/mitt.
- Toothpaste and a toothbrush.
- Soft towels and paper towels.
- Baking soda.
- Masking tape – to mask off the paint.
- Car wax.
How to clean your headlights using toothpaste and baking soda
- Step 1 – Clean the headlights with soap and water. Then rinse well with water and leave it to dry.
- Step 2 – Mask the surrounding areas that have paint to protect the paint.
- Step 3 – Make a paste of toothpaste and baking soda.
- Step 4 – Slightly dampen the towel that you will be using to clean the headlights with water.
- Step 5 – Put some paste on the towel and firmly rub it on the headlights.
Keep adding the paste on the headlights as you continue to rub them until they are fully covered.
- Step 6 – When the headlights are all covered with paste, use the toothbrush to scrub them.
You will notice the toothbrush start to turn yellow.
- Step 7 – When done scrubbing, use a paper towel to wipe off the paste then spray with water. Repeat this until the paste is all wiped off.
- Step 8 – Finally, finish by applying car wax to protect it.
In conclusion
All these methods proved effective in our experiment. I hope you will find them helpful!
