The headlights of your automobile ensure that you drive carefully since they illuminate the road. Car headlights must be clean and clear; however, this is not always the case. Headlights that are foggy or misty are a common problem in most vehicles. Overcast car headlights not only diminish the amount of light emitted, but they also look ugly.
Accidents can happen by dim lighting. Headlights are a vital feature of every car since they help with visibility when driving. The quantity of light emitted by a headlight can be hampered or limited by foggy or hazy headlight covers. However, If you have ever wondered, how to clean foggy headlights at home – take a look at a few quick and easy headlight cleaning tips.
Why do You Get Hazy Headlights?
The reason for your headlight’s fogginess is simple but also a bit scientific. Car headlights are polycarbonate plastic, which is naturally porous despite being very stable. Coating protect the plastic, but the film dissolves over time as a result of naturally accumulating dust and exposure to UV radiation. There is cloudiness above the headlights when the polycarbonate oxidizes.
Cloudy or foggy headlights are a typical problem that every car headlight has, so here is what you need to know about them: they may make a vehicle’s headlight appear pretty unpleasant, and they can even cause accidents since they obscure or hinder the view of the road. As a result, whether washing foggy headlights with vinegar as well as other household solvents is necessary, it is essential.
Hazards of Having Foggy Headlamps:
Misty headlights not only make your car look unsightly but are also extremely hazardous. We have jotted down some important reasons why you should not roam around in your car with foggy headlamps. These things are important to learn before learning all the home remedies of how to clean your foggy headlights.
- Hazy headlights does not let adequate amount of light to pass through; this makes it difficult for you to drive at night
- The light goes out in different angles because of the fogginess and this can be dangerous for other drivers
- The fog and dirt has the tendency to absorb the light itself which can make the headlight become very hot and ruin the headlamp
- If you are planning to sell your car, foggy headlights will surely decrease its value
- foggy headlights makes your car look old.
Now that you have known the reason for its occurence and its cons, let’s quickly jump into the methods on how to clean foggy headlights!
How To Clean Foggy Headlights With Vinegar:
Despite the fact that dampened Polycarbonate plastic coverings are incredibly stable, they are usually porous, and a protecting film utilizes to cover this material. This protecting film tends to disintegrate as a result of frequent exposure to ultraviolet rays and also a build-up of filth so there’s also oxidation of the polycarbonate substance, which results in cloudiness.
Although there are numerous commercial products available for cleaning oxidized headlights, home remedies have proven to be quite effective, safe, and inexpensive when compared to alternative methods of cleaning oxidized headlights. Vinegar is one of the safest, cheapest, and most effective ways to clean cloudy headlights.
a) Clean Dust From a Car Headlight:
The headlight are cover in loose dust, which you must clear first. Wipe away the loose dust with a clean dusting cloth under the hazy and gloomy light. You should keep removing the small dust till the headlight must be clean.
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b) Clean Headlight with Liquid Soap:
The headlamp should then be rubbed with soapy water. Put liquid soap into a bowl for this project. Pour in some water until you have a liquid solution. To prepare the soap solution, thoroughly combine all of the ingredients. It has to be very thin. You can do this using a microfiber cloth dipped in the soap solution. Next, to eliminate the filth, brush the cloth over the headlights. Aside from that, you can fill a spray bottle with the liquid solution then spray it. After that, spray the liquid on the headlight and then allow it to sit for a while.
After several minutes, take the microfiber handkerchief and thoroughly massage it over the headlight to eliminate the filth. If there is still a lot of grime on the headlamp, you can keep the soap liquid on it for a while longer. Excess filth from the headlamp will be simple to remove.
c) Using Vinegar for Cleaning the Headlight:
The headlights will be cleaned and given a final polish in this process. You’ll need white vinegar plus water for this. Fill a bottle with three parts water and one part white vinegar. Shake a spray bottle halfway with the solution. Mist the solution on the headlamp and make sure it is completely covered in vinegar. You could leave it for five to 10 minutes to dislodge any leftover dirt.
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After that, wipe the headlight with the microfiber cloth in a broad circular motion. You should find that the yellowing mostly on plastic headlights washes off with it, and if that doesn’t, do not even worry. If the yellowing spot on the headlight cover does not go, the headlight should be cleaned with a vinegar mixture as well as baking soda.
d) For Removing Yellow Tint:
If vinegar does not completely clear the headlight, still have another option. Vinegar and baking soda might be used. Cleaning hazy headlights with a mixture of two parts vinegar plus one part baking soda is effective. When you combine those two elements, you’ll get foam. Using a microfiber cloth, pour the mixture over the headlight. Spread the fabric over the headlight after dipping it in the solution. Allow the mixture to sit for a while to eliminate the dirt.
e) Rub to Make the Headlight Sparkling White:
The headlights are clear once you’ve applied the liquid. Spray the headlamp with water for a final clean. Wipe the headlamp down with a fresh, clean towel. Rub it properly so that no water remains. Paper towels can use to assure that no watermarks remain after cleaning. To dry the headlamp, take them and brush them over it.
You’ll receive excellent outcomes. You can also use a sponge to wipe the headlights clean. Dip the sponge in liquid and set it aside. After that, rub it against the headlight. Remove it from the solution and re-dip it in the water. Rub the headlamp with the clean sponge again and again until it is spotless.
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You can always wash the headlights with vinegar, although it’s not the unique way to do that. There are few more options that you can attempt if you want to keep your headlights clean at all times.
Vinegar Wax for Cleaning Misty Headlights:
Other than we can use baking soda as well as vinegar, vinegar wax to clean your headlight. This is a useful solution because it eliminates the need to visit a vehicle wash merely to clean your headlight cover when you can do it yourself at home. Making a wax with vinegar can also be used to clean faded or smoky headlights, and the best part is that it prevents future fogging or cloudiness. In a mixing bowl, combine the carnauba wax, linseed oil, beeswax, as well as cider vinegar.
We use heating step to ensure that the mixture is homogeneous, and the solution should be allowing it to cool for around thirty minutes after it has been heated. Once cooling, apply the mixture to the hazy headlight in a circular pattern with a washrag, and leave it on for around five minutes before wiping it off with a soft and dry handkerchief. It’s important to ensure that almost no residue will remain behind after cleaning. If any residue remains, it will leave patches mostly on headlights that will quickly accumulate dust and filth.
Cleaning Smoky Headlights with Toothpaste:
Unless the headlight fog hasn’t progressed to the point of being a big problem, and you’ve discovered it early enough, this is a fantastic in-house DIY to keep your car in fine condition. Simply take an additional bottle of toothpaste (probably you don’t like the nasty peppermint flavor) and liberally apply it all to your headlights.
Your toothpaste’s moderate exfoliating characteristics will assist scrape the damaged, ruined surface, restoring a brilliant new sheen to the headlights. To enhance the clarity of your headlights, start applying the toothpaste with a towel and rub it in applying small round motions. It will require some effort, but this will work. Whenever needed, do it all over again as many times as you will need.
How to Clean Foggy Headlights with Bug Spray:
Using a little insect spray as a life hack to wipe up the hazy headlights on your Car is a good idea. It does seem to reason that something powerful sufficient to prevent blood-sucking mosquitoes could have been use. It comes out that rubbing bug spray into hazy headlights as well as scrubbing it away will significantly lighten them up. However, be careful not to apply too much bug spray, since that might damage your plastic.
Cleaning Hazy Headlight Using Vinegar and Baking Soda:
Everything that is require is that you make a baking soda plus vinegar solution, whether in combination or separately. The main disadvantage of this procedure is that the results are temporary.
In a measuring bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda to make foam, then dip a clean rag into the solution and use it to wipe away the cloudy headlight. Cleaning should be conducted in a clockwise direction to ensure that it is evenly distributed.
Final Words:
All of the methods listed above are simple, secure, effective, and less expensive ways to remove fogginess or haze from headlights, and we recommend that you read across them all to pick the approach or method that is right for you. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know how to clear foggy headlights at home, simply follow the simple steps outlined above.