Sanding headlights with toothpaste. Polishing headlights with toothpaste

Sometimes toothpaste is used to restore and polish headlights. We will tell you how relevant this is, the advantages and disadvantages of this type of polishing, and also describe the restoration process with our own hands.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age

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One of the important steps in giving your car its former shine is polishing the headlights with toothpaste. Typically, car enthusiasts, preoccupied with the imperfect condition of the paintwork of their iron horse, worry about eliminating deficiencies only on the car body, without attaching much importance to the details. To achieve the perfect appearance of your car, you should pay attention to the details.

Over time, car lighting fixtures become covered with small chips and scratches. The glass or plastic that makes up the headlight cover begins to fade, which negatively affects the main function of the headlights - to illuminate the road. During the operation of the car, dust and dirt settle on these lighting fixtures. Car washing doesn't always do a perfect job of cleaning.

In order to bring your car headlights into proper shape, you should resort to polishing the caps. This will help eliminate cloudiness, remove stubborn dust and remove small scratches from the surface. Is it possible to polish headlights with toothpaste? We will find out in this article.

One of the important stages of giving your car its former shine is polishing the headlights with toothpaste.

Knowledge that will be useful when cleaning car headlights

Before you begin the process of polishing car headlights, you need to determine what material they are made of. There are two types - glass and plastic. Their cleaning technology is different. Scratches and chips from headlights made of glass are almost impossible to remove. This process is quite labor-intensive. It is very difficult to achieve a good effect on your own. Since new glass headlights are not cheap, it makes sense to turn to specialists and update the coating, removing cobwebs from scratches and cloudy deposits.

In order to start polishing headlight covers, you should prepare some tools and materials:

• mounting tape for sealing parts adjacent to the headlights;
• water for cleaning the surface before and after polishing;
• degreasing agent;
• a towel or napkin free of lint and any dirt;
• brush for cleaning and polishing procedures;
• paste or polish;
• If you plan to polish with a drill, you need special soft polishing attachments.

If you plan to polish with a drill, you need special soft polishing attachments

Polishing headlights with toothpaste with your own hands is the easiest and least expensive method you can use to tidy up the light sources in your car. This form of work will help remove cloudy deposits on both plastic and glass headlights. Scratches can be polished out well enough only on plastic ones.

Article on the topic: "Polishing headlights with your own hands at home"

Polishing with toothpaste has a right to exist because it is, in principle, an abrasive material, so craftsmen decided to use this property of the paste for their own purposes. Tooth powder can also be successfully used for this purpose.

The process of polishing headlights with toothpaste

How to polish headlights with your own hands using toothpaste has been discussed by more than one car enthusiast. Some were satisfied with this method, others not so much. The method works, it’s worth trying in practice. Moreover, this type of polishing does not require any special tools or devices.

For high-quality polishing of headlights, they must be thoroughly washed and dried. If you don't clean the surface well enough, the remaining particles will scratch the surface, and instead of gloss and gloss, you will end up with scratched "eyes" of your car.

Before starting work, you should protect the parts adjacent to the headlights so as not to stain or scratch them. If the headlights are easily dismantled, it is most convenient to dismantle them for polishing. To protect parts not being processed, adhesive tape or assembly adhesive tape is usually used.

Before starting work, you should protect the parts adjacent to the headlights so as not to stain or scratch them.

Before polishing the glass with toothpaste, you need to go over the surface with sandpaper. First coarser, then fine-grained. It will remove a slight top layer and reduce scratches. After finishing polishing, the surface should be covered with a protective layer to preserve the effect for a longer time.

Since polishing glass headlights with toothpaste is quite difficult, takes a lot of time and is a labor-intensive process, you can use a polishing machine to make the task easier.

Advantages and disadvantages of this action

Polishing headlights with toothpaste is the easiest and cheapest method to give them their former shine. This is the most important advantage. This method can be used almost anywhere where you can buy a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of water and clean rags. Another advantage in favor of this polishing method is its simplicity. You don't need to be a good specialist. Any person can cope with this task.

Speed, simplicity and low cost - these are the main advantages of polishing headlights with toothpaste. But this method also has its drawbacks. It is impossible to achieve lasting results this way. The effect will not last long, so the procedure will have to be repeated often. Given the advantages of the method, fragility may not be considered a problem.

Polishing headlights with toothpaste with your own hands will not work perfectly. This method does not remove chips and deep scratches. You will have to use more expensive polishing pastes.

Speed, simplicity and low cost - these are the main advantages of polishing headlights with toothpaste

Description of the work process

Now let’s take a closer look at the process of how to polish headlights with toothpaste:

We prepare all the materials and tools necessary for the work. For an economical method, we take only the paste itself, any (preferably lint-free) clean rag, water:

• If you will use a machine or drill for polishing, you will need to purchase special attachments (polishing discs). You will need several of them.
• We wash the surface of the headlights with special products for cars, then carry out the degreasing process.
• We tape the untreated body parts around the headlights for protection.
• Apply toothpaste to the surface of the headlight and rub in with light circular movements using a rag. Polishing should be done until the scratches disappear.
• When using a special tool, the paste is applied directly to the polishing disc.
• After finishing polishing, wash off the remaining toothpaste with water and wipe the surface.

When using a special tool, the paste is applied directly to the polishing disc.

To polish the surface of headlights, it is ideal to use felt cloth as a polishing cloth (rag). You need to polish glass headlights with toothpaste using a brush. And before applying toothpaste, you need to sand the surface to smooth out deep scratches. For better quality work, it is advisable to remove the headlights and wash away dust and dirt from the inside as well.

If you set out to polish your headlights yourself, but don’t want to spend money on special expensive pastes and tools, then polishing with toothpaste is the best option. This is an easy way to transform the appearance of your car, which does not require time or material costs.

Some drivers may see a tube of toothpaste in their car or garage. Experienced drivers benefit from using toothpaste not only to clean their teeth, but also in the car.

Everyone knows that toothpaste has a good and effective abrasive and polishing effect. It is these properties that experienced drivers use.

Method number 1.

Toothpaste can remove white spots that appear on the body or windows of a car after a long period of parking in the open air. Such stains cannot be removed during washing. After treating with the cheapest toothpaste, not a trace will remain of white spots.

Method number 2.

Toothpaste is widely used for polishing car windows and car headlights.

For polishing, it is better to use whitening toothpastes. Whitening paste usually contains more abrasive particles.

If polishing is done with ordinary toothpaste, the effect will be practically invisible. If you polish the glass or headlights with whitening toothpaste, the glass or headlights will become as good as new.

Polishing headlights or glass with toothpaste should be done using a soft felt cloth.

Polishing glass and headlights with toothpaste will significantly save your family budget.

Method number 3.

Using toothpaste, you can remove small and shallow scratches from the car body. To remove a scratch, you need to use whitening toothpaste.

Apply the paste to the scratch and rub in circular movements for 2-3 minutes. If a scratch remains, it will be practically invisible.

Method number 4.

You can use toothpaste to remove fog from your rear view mirror. Apply toothpaste to the mirror and rub with a cotton swab.

Need to pay attention that toothpaste cannot be used to defog a car windshield. At night, glare from the headlights of oncoming cars will blind the driver's eyes.

Method number 5.

Toothpaste can be used to protect headlights from dirt. To do this, apply toothpaste to the headlight and rub it with a soft cloth until the headlight glass becomes transparent. After applying the toothpaste, do not wash it off with water.

When driving in rainy weather on a dirty road, protected headlights will remain clean longer.

Bottom line.

Toothpaste can be usefully used not only for hygiene purposes, but also in the car.

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Cloudy headlights are something that every car enthusiast encounters sooner or later. Cloudy headlights do not look aesthetically pleasing and spoil the appearance of the car. Also, the main problem with unpolished headlights is poor light. Light does not pass through the headlight glass well, which is why the glow efficiency is reduced by about 2 times. To solve this problem there is a very cheap way to polish your headlights. In this article you will learn how to properly polish headlights using toothpaste.

To polish headlights, you will need toothpaste, rags, preferably felt, and it is also advisable to have a grinder with a soft circle (sponge) on hand.

Polishing headlights with toothpaste. Instructions

1. First you need to thoroughly wash and dry the headlight before polishing.

2. Apply thick toothpaste and rub with a rag until it partially dries. You can use a grinder with a soft circle. Leave the toothpaste on the headlight for 15 minutes.

3. Rinse off the dried toothpaste with clean water.

Proceed with the second headlight. You can polish your headlights at any time this way. Toothpaste is suitable for shallow cleaning and very cloudy headlights cannot be cleaned this way. This is the cheapest and most accessible way to polish headlights at home.

This method has its drawback; polishing does not last as long as we would like. The best effect is achieved by polishing headlights with store-bought products.

How to polish headlights at home using toothpaste video

Polish headlights with regular toothpaste to prevent their surface from becoming cloudy. Cleaning with soap does not restore the original transparency. The relevance, advantages and disadvantages of this method are described below.

Why do you need to polish your car headlights?

Why do my headlights become cloudy? Sand or small objects impact the surface at high speed. Glass loses its transparency due to microscopic scratches. Wiping the surface is not enough to restore cleanliness. Headlights cannot illuminate the roadway properly. Some car enthusiasts buy new spare parts, others use advice on glass restoration. If the headlights shine worse, replacing the bulb does not always help. It is dangerous to drive in the dark with cloudy windows if there are passengers in the car.
This allows you to achieve the ideal appearance of the car. Gradually, the lighting fixtures become covered with small scratches, the cap becomes dull, and the roadway is less illuminated. Polishing allows you to get rid of turbidity, removes stubborn dust and small scratches.
Felt fabric is best suited for processing plastic. The glass is polished with a brush; the surface is first wiped with sandpaper to remove scratches.

How to polish headlights with toothpaste

No additional devices or tools are used for work. The caps are first washed and dried, since small particles and dirt scratch the surface during the grinding process. For ease of polishing, the headlights are removed; tape and masking tape are used to protect areas that cannot be processed.

The headlights are wiped with sandpaper to reduce the depth of scratches. A sander helps polish the surface faster.

Features of headlight polishing work

It is not necessary to remove the headlight; it is recommended to give preference to detergents based on isopropyl alcohol. After polishing, the mixture is washed off with water and cleaned again with detergent. The procedure is repeated until the result is satisfactory.

What are the advantages of polishing car headlights yourself?

Sometimes drivers notice that one headlight does not light up; the problem lies in the fact that light rays pass through dirty glass less well. Immediate polishing is required, for this any driver can go to the nearest store, buy a few rags and toothpaste. After this, you need to rub the headlights for 10 minutes until the quality of lighting is restored. This emergency method is rarely used; most repairs are carried out in the garage; if you have a drill or grinder in the trunk, the procedure can be completed much faster.
Such polishing is available to everyone and is inexpensive. This is the main advantage, the technique is used in any place where the driver can buy a tube of paste, a rag and water.
After this treatment, the surface quickly becomes cloudy. The technique does not make it possible to get rid of chips and deep scratches; expensive polishing materials are used to eliminate serious defects.
The light transmittance of glass is reduced by 70% if it is cloudy. In addition to toothpaste, an abrasive mixture, masking tape, and foam polishing pads are used for polishing. Car enthusiasts are advised to purchase a minimum set for cleaning headlights.

During the active use of the car, even its headlights are subject to wear, which become dim and unattractive. In such a situation, responsible car owners will definitely be interested in how to perform high-quality polishing of headlights, preferably with their own hands. In fact, there are several options for accomplishing the task, but now we will consider only the most budget-friendly of them, which involves the use of regular toothpaste.

Why do you need to polish your headlights?

Surely every motorist has noticed that the illumination of the road by a car becomes worse over time. Of course, in most cases, questions arise about the lighting elements (lamps) themselves, but the headlight glass should not be discounted. Driving along roads (especially country roads) is accompanied by the settling of dust and sand on the car, in particular, on its lighting elements.

While it is easier to remove dirt from the paintwork, and small scratches are not so noticeable, on the headlight lenses they create a cloudy surface that can no longer be cleaned with conventional means. Moreover, any attempt to wipe the lights with a dry or rough cloth may worsen the problem and cause deeper scratches. As a result, the headlights begin to emit not a directed luminous flux, but a kind of shapeless spot of light that cannot properly illuminate the path.

Separately, it should be noted the deterioration of the general appearance of the vehicle, because worn-out lighting elements reduce its attractiveness. Considering all this, information on how best to polish headlights will definitely be useful, especially since this can be done at home.

Interesting! In many European countries, drivers are not allowed to turn off their headlights, even during daytime.

Polishing headlights with paste

Polishing car headlights with toothpaste is performed in several interconnected stages, but, as is usually the case, it all starts with preparing the surface to be treated.

Before proceeding to active actions, it is necessary to protect the surface adjacent to the headlights from damage. Now we mean the edges of the hood and wings, the edges of the radiator grille and the upper part of the bumper, which should be sealed with masking tape, having previously lubricated the adhesive side with oil (this way, when removing the tape, you will protect the paintwork from damage). It is also mandatory to glue over the metal part and the sealing gum of the lamp.

In addition, preparation for polishing headlights with toothpaste (or any other abrasive material) involves preliminary thorough cleaning of the surface using warm water and neutral detergents. You can also use special car cleaners or a vinegar solution. Any of the selected products is applied to the surface using a clean rag, and you must try to capture even the most inaccessible areas of the headlight. As practice shows, cars produced today that are equipped with plastic or glass headlights are perfectly amenable to polishing “with your own hands.”

What do we need?

An equally important issue when preparing a lantern for polishing work is the necessary tools. In fact, you don't need anything fancy. In addition to the toothpaste itself (you can take any you have in the house), you should also prepare warm water, a clean rag and sponge, a toothbrush (or any other) brush, cleaning products and polish, which is used to finish the lighting element of the car. Construction tape works well for gluing adjacent surfaces.

Let's start polishing

Regular toothpaste is increasingly used to polish headlights, but it is worth noting that a noticeable result can only be obtained if there are no chips or deep scratches. The fact is that the base of the toothpaste is presented in the form of a very fine abrasive, which, thanks to various additives, has a number of additional properties (fresh smell, whitening and strengthening of tooth enamel). Using these properties of the specified composition, you can thoroughly clean cloudy glass and plastic headlight covers, ridding them of dirt and dust. With a tube of toothpaste, a brush, and a few soft towels, you can restore your car's headlights to their former glory.

Applying toothpaste to the headlight cover, previously cleaned of dirt, is done in a circular motion, for which maximum effort is applied. The procedure is carried out until the scratches are completely eliminated.

If the paste is smeared, or you see that there is not enough of it, you can add the composition as you work.

Pay attention!It is easier to apply toothpaste using an electric drill, which is supplemented with special attachments. In this case, the speed is set to medium mode so as not to damage the part.

Once the surface is level, you can wash off the paste, wipe the surface of the lantern and proceed to polishing. If there are no deep scratches on the shell of the lighting element, the headlights should simply “shine” clean.

It is likely that after external polishing, traces of dirt and cloudiness inside the headlight will become better visible. This means that the element also needs internal grinding, for which the lighting elements will have to be removed from the vehicle. After carefully examining the part, you will be able to detect through cracks and large chips that can no longer be polished. In this case, the question of how to polish headlights using toothpaste or any other product loses all relevance, and it is better to immediately buy replacement parts.

Do-it-yourself internal processing of headlights is carried out in the same sequence as polishing the outer surface of the glass. Naturally, preliminary cleaning and degreasing of the surface are also relevant in this case. The headlight is treated with an abrasive material until it becomes absolutely smooth to the touch. At the end of the work, polish is also applied to the washed and damp glass. With its help you can achieve a perfectly shiny surface without streaks.

When performing work, you need to understand that the features of polishing glass and plastic products are somewhat different. First of all, this is due to the fragility of glass and the greater stability of plastic. Therefore, when using a machine or simply polishing by hand, it is necessary to take into account the force of pressure and heat. When grinding the surface of the headlight with a special machine or drill, water is constantly poured onto it.

Upon completion of the work, the glass should have a uniform dullness or “fine roughness”. After washing, even slight roughness disappears.

Interesting to know! Modern car headlights come to us from the world of carriages. So, contrary to popular belief, horse-drawn carriages were not so primitive and were equipped with suspensions, as well as brakes and even heating systems. It makes sense that with all these details, the lighting fixtures did not seem such a strange addition. Oil and kerosene lamps or even gas lanterns were quite popular.

Pros and cons of polishing yourself

Having an idea of ​​how to clean headlights with toothpaste, you can do all the work yourself and in a fairly short time. So, any car owner can handle such polishing, but this is not all the advantages of this method of cleaning the car’s lighting elements. Among other advantages, it is worth highlighting:

economic accessibility (for example, polishing glass headlights at a service station will cost much more than at home);

No need for special tools and devices;

Possibility of polishing the surface of headlights in almost any conditions;

Small time investment.

However, if there are advantages, then it is impossible to do without disadvantages. For example, to shortcomings When polishing headlights using toothpaste, it is worth considering the short duration of the effect obtained (that is, polishing with paste will soon have to be performed again) and the possibility of damage to the headlight if careless handling of the glass surface (if you follow all precautions, this will not happen).

Otherwise, polishing vehicle headlights yourself using toothpaste is the best way to quickly restore the original appearance and performance properties of car headlights.

How often will you have to polish plastic or glass headlights yourself? At home, this process should be repeated at least every two years, which will compensate for the loss of headlight efficiency due to existing defects. The polishing method itself should be chosen taking into account the depth of damage to the headlight housings. Simply put, it is the parameters of the defects that will determine the technology, complexity, duration of the polishing process and the list of necessary equipment.

Pay attention! Using electric devices for polishing, you can not only simplify the polishing process, but also reduce its time by half.