6 Ways To Clean Dull Car Headlights
20 July, 2021
Car headlights are essential elements needed when you are driving, especially at night or under rainy conditions. Car headlights will not work optimally when the headlights are dull or blurry. Therefore, this time we will provide tips on how to properly clean car headlights yourself without the help of professionals.
Several things that can cause this condition, ranging from mold caused by accumulated dirt, lamp voltages that are too high to parking too long in direct sunlight. The condition gets worse if the car owner never performs maintenance and cleans the car headlights properly.
1. Washing Car Headlights
The latest cars are often equipped with built-in washers that work automatically when the windshield washer is turned on. However, the headlight washer does not have a built-in wiper car so it will only clean the dirt on the surface. Meanwhile, the remaining dirt will harden and make the lamp glass become blurry and dull.
The very first step you should do is wash the car’s headlights and dry them using a chamois cloth. Afterwards, the dirt attached to the car headlight glass is removed so that further cleaning process can be done optimally. Do this regularly so that your headlight glass is completely clean of stubborn dirt.
2. Wipe or Cloth
You can use a rag or microfiber cloth to remove any remaining dirt stuck to the headlight glass. You have to do it regularly, especially after you are done traveling. This is so that the remaining dirt on the windshield of the car’s headlights does not accumulate which can cause the lamp glass to become blurry or dull. You can also maximize its cleanliness by washing it and making sure that there is no soapy water left on it.
3. Compound
Compounds can be used to remove stubborn dirt that is still left even after being washed. However, you should be quite careful because compounds have abrasive properties, so use it only sparingly.
Using it is quite easy, the first thing to do is clean the glass surface of the headlamp using a dry cloth. Make sure the glass surface is completely dry from water or other things that can hinder the cleaning process. Gently wipe in a circular motion until the lamp glass is completely clean.
4. Toothpaste
If your compound feels too abrasive on the lamp, then you try using toothpaste to clean stubborn dirt. Most toothpaste products will contain baking soda or a gentle scrubbing agent intended to remove dirt on the teeth. You can also do the same on almost any surface including the lamp glass.
To do it is not too difficult, spread the toothpaste onto the headlights with a small brush evenly. Continue rubbing it gently in a circular motion until you see and feel the dirt coming off. When finished, you can use warm water and a cloth to clean the remaining toothpaste.
For a more thorough cleaning, you can use a rotary buffer to apply toothpaste. Or if you don’t want to use toothpaste, you can use a paste made of water and baking soda.
5. Special Products
Currently, there are many manufacturers that make car cleaning products specifically designed to clean engine headlights. These are generally very effective cleaning compounds, especially if you combine them with a rotary buffer for better results. The price is not cheap, but it will feel more affordable than taking it to a car repair shop or salon.
6. Sandpaper
If you don’t have all the ingredients mentioned above, you can also use sandpaper to clean the dull and blurry headlight glass. But please note, using sandpaper on the headlights is a little risky, so you should do it slowly so as not to damage the windshield of the car’s headlights.
If you want to continue, here’s how to do it:
- Wet the headlights with warm water and use 400 grit sandpaper.
- Use sandpaper slowly in a circular motion, applying light pressure and always keeping the sandpaper and headlights wet.
- Once you’ve finished sanding the entire headlight, sand again in a horizontal line to finish.
- Repeat the first step again using 600 grit wet sandpaper and keep using circular motions.
- After you have sanded the entire headlight, clean it again with water.
- Repeat step one using 2000-grit wet sandpaper, still using circular motions.
- After you have sanded down all the headlights, make sure all the dirt has been removed.
- You can repeat the last step if needed.
- Clean the headlights with warm water and dry.
- The last step is to apply wax for maximum results.
Wuling family, those are 6 ways on how to clean your favorite car headlights. Let’s try to apply and good luck!
