How to Clean Hazy Headlights with Household Products

Have you ever wondered why your headlights haze or even turn yellow over time? Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with the quality of your headlights but more on the material used. Plastic headlights replaced glass headlights due to the cheaper cost of manufacturing. Unfortunately chemicals used to make the plastic react with oxygen, sunlight, UV rays, high temperatures, and moisture. This reaction makes the headlight lenses hazy or oxidized over time.

Headlight Restoration DIY

Professional detailers charge roughly $75-$150 to restore headlights. They claim to restore your headlights permanently, but this should be taken with a grain of salt. Replacing the entire headlight assembly will roughly cost $200-$700 depending on the make, model, and year of your car. This price is also exclusive of labor costs to install them.

To clean plastic headlights you would need an abrasive to lightly scrape off the oxidized layer. Professional detailers use wet sanding methods with various sandpaper grits along with polishers to get the desired clarity from the lens. If you’d like to try doing it yourself, you can use these regular household products to save yourself some money. Although the results are temporary, they’re definitely a great quick-fix until you can afford to get new headlights.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is one of the most convenient headlight cleaners because of how accessible it is. It is a base, which means it effectively dissolves organic compounds such as dirt, grease, and other contaminants that can make your headlights hazy. If you want to learn how to clean your headlights with baking soda, follow these simple steps:

1. Wash the headlight lens with soap and water.
2. Mix baking soda and water.
   (There is no specified solution mixture. Make sure to have more baking soda than water. When mixed together you should have a paste like substance.)
3. Take a dry rag and rub the baking soda solution to the headlight lens
4. Keep rubbing in a cross hatch pattern while generously applying the baking soda solution.
5. Wash off the baking soda solution to reveal the results. Repeat till desired clarity is achieved.

WD40

Another household product that’s effective at cleaning hazy headlights is WD40. This oil isn’t just used for rust removal – they’re also very effective at breaking down grease and other contaminants fogging up your headlights. If you want to learn how to use this common product to clean your headlights, follow these steps:

1. Wash the headlight lens with soap and water.
2. Shake a can of WD40 or any silicone based lubricant and spray it onto the whole headlight lens.
3. Wipe off with a clean rag.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is one of the most popular headlight cleaning ideas online. Read our full tutorial on how to clean your headlights with toothpaste to try this easy and inexpensive hack.

For a quick and simple guide to help you clean your headlights as soon as possible, follow these steps:

1. Clean the headlights and everything around them with soap and water.
2. Use masking tape to protect your car’s paint.
3. Apply soapy water to one of the hazy headlights and gently scrub it with a cloth lathered with toothpaste.
4. Rinse the toothpaste off the headlight.
5. Repeat these steps with the other headlight until both have been cleaned.
6. Apply a coat of wax to your headlights after cleaning them.
7. Apply a UV headlight sealant and cure it.

Remember, these are temporary fixes to a problem that will recur again. The WD40 and the bug spray may only last until your next car wash.

The baking soda and toothpaste both work because of their abrasive properties, which work by scraping off the oxidized layer of plastic. However, they both take time and lots of elbow grease. You may also want to protect the headlight lens with wax after you’ve used baking soda or toothpaste to give it a lasting effect.

There are many videos online showing how easy it is to restore headlights by wet sanding. Keep in mind that you should be careful with these videos because they can also cause more damage when not executed properly. Consider purchasing a headlight restoring kit from your local hardware or from an online automotive parts store for roughly $15-$20. These kits come complete with instructions which need to be strictly followed. If you’re not willing to spend money on purchasing a new set of headlights, then consider getting a detailer to restore them.

Need New Headlights? Get New Ones Online

It’s hard when you can’t see where you’re going. Foggy headlights can still be repaired, but you should replace shattered or broken headlights. You shouldn’t ignore a broken headlight because it’s unsafe and all vehicles are legally mandated to have headlights when driving at night. Good thing you can replace your vehicle’s broken headlights with a reliable part from CarParts.com. 

CarParts.com has a large selection of headlights for a wide range of vehicle makes and models. You can choose headlights from leading aftermarket brands that offer different designs and bulb configurations. You can be confident that our parts are high-quality and built to last, as they’ve passed stringent quality control standards during manufacturing.

We offer durable parts at competitive prices. Get amazing deals when you shop for new headlights at CarParts.com today!