Front end of the Nissan Altima showing the glowing headlights and fog lights at night

How Do I Clean My Car’s Foggy Headlights at Home?

DIY Tips to Clean Foggy Headlights at Home 

Headlights are an important part of your vehicle. Not only do they let you see the road ahead in the dark, but they also help avoid obstacles on the road or make you visible to oncoming traffic. Ontario drivers often complain of foggy or hazy headlights, and that’s quite natural considering the climate in this part of the country. Falling snow, flying road debris, and even road salt can cause damage and discolouration to your headlights. If you notice your car’s headlights have become yellow, scratched, or hazy, check out these simple “how-to-clean your foggy headlights at home” DIY tips from Stop 23 Auto Sales in Listowel, ON.  



Clean Your Headlights Using Household Items  

There are plenty of headlight cleaning products available in the market, but you can use some ubiquitous household items to clean your headlights. Yes, you read it right. You can clean your vehicle’s headlights using something as familiar as toothpaste, baking soda, and vinegar.  

Lifehack 1: How to Clean Foggy Headlights Using Toothpaste  

The toothpaste that you use to brush your teeth every day has micro-abrasives that not only help keep your teeth sparkly white but also help make your car’s headlights sparkle. All you need to do is grab an extra tube of toothpaste and apply a generous amount of it to your headlights. Grab a soft, dry cloth and rub the headlights in small circular motions starting from the middle and moving toward the corners. Do this until all the toothpaste is completely wiped away and your headlights start to look shiny. 


Also read: What Are Safety Checks for Your Vehicle’s Tires?


Lifehack 2: How to Clean Foggy Headlights Using Baking Soda and Vinegar  

Close-up view of the Mazda3 sedan's headlight
View of the road on a fog-filled morning

Yet another helpful lifehack you can use to clean your car’s hazy headlights is using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Both these ingredients are readily available in almost every home and have been used by our mothers for cleaning purposes for years. Here’s how to make the magic baking soda and vinegar headlight cleaning paste.  

  • Put some baking soda into a bowl 
  • Add vinegar and mix it until it becomes a fine paste 
  • Apply it to the headlights, moving in circles and side-to-side until all the paste is cleaned, and the headlights become shiny.  

Make sure to clean the headlights using a damp/wet cloth and soap before applying the baking soda-vinegar paste.  

Cleaning With Baking Soda  

You can even use these items individually if you don’t have one of them available. Put about five to six tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl and add warm water instead of vinegar to make the fine paste and repeat the above steps until you see the desired results. Once done, wash the headlights using dish soap and warm water and clean them with a dry cloth, and your headlights will be sparkly new.  

Cleaning Using Vinegar Dip  

You can also clean your headlights using just vinegar. However, for this trick, you’ll need to take off your headlight cap/cover, dip it in a white vinegar bath, and leave it there for about an hour. Use a sponge or a dry cloth to rub away all the grime and dirt and re-install the cover. This method also allows you to clean any caked filth or moisture trapped inside your headlights.  


Read More: How Important Are Car Washes in the Winter?


Get Shiny New Headlights at Stop 23 in Listowel, ON 

As you can see, cleaning your headlights yourself is easy, and we’re sure these lifehacks will help you. However, if your headlights are too scratched or too yellow, and none of these tips seem to do the trick, you can always count on Stop 23 in Listowel, ON. Give us a call today or stop by and let us help get you some new headlights.