Did you know that WD-40 (Water Displacement, 40th formula) has a lot more uses than just fixing squeaky hinges, preventing rust, and displacing moisture?
While the substance is popular for being common in American households, their versatility is still unknown to some individuals. WD-40 was made way back in 1953 to prevent a missile from rust and corrosion. But then it was found that it acts as one of the most useful tools in your home maintenance arsenal.
Whether you are looking to repel insects and roaches, remove tough scuff marks, clean toilet bowl or wipe away the tea stains, WD-40 comes to your rescue.
Well, the applications don’t end here. This substance is also perfect for getting off that stuck ring, winter proof shoes, clean license plates, loosen the zippers, keeping the squirrels off the bird feeder, and a lot more uses.
Although handymen and mechanists mainly use this substance, it also works ideal for you; if you don’t want tons of products on your cleaning shelf.
So, if you have WD-40 lying in the garage, here are 40 amazing ways on how you can use it.
Waterproof the Shoes for Winter
Do you hate wet socks or dread when water gets into your shoes? If yes! Waterproof your shoes by spraying a layer of WD-40 on it. Make sure that you cover the entire sole or shoe so that the footwear is not prone to any damage.
The WD-40 layer acts as a barrier and does not let the moisture to seep in and wet your socks. It not only creates a waterproof barrier for shoes but also helps you to get rid of salt stains during the winters. Just spray WD-40 on to the stains and wipe them off with a clean cloth. Instead of spending extra money on an unnecessarily expensive product at the shoe store, why not try this?
Give Tarnished Silver a Polished Look
Dawn may be really tough on grease and oil, but it’s surprisingly gentle on jewelry and metals. This is why it also makes a great jewelry cleaner. You guess it, we will mix together seven parts hot water with one part ammonia and just a dab of Dawn dish soap.
Use an old toothbrush to scrub your jewelry with the mixture until it’s sparkling and clean like when you first bought it. If the jewelry seems a bit more fragile, feel free to use a soft bristle toothbrush so that nothing happens to the jewelry. Once you finish cleaning it off, rinse off the excess product and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
This next one is a great hack which can save you some nice money in the long run.
Remove Chewing Gum from Hair
Chewing gum sticks on almost everything, be it hair or fabric. But perhaps, one of the worst situations occurs, when chewing gum is stuck into your child’s hair. Well, you need not worry; nor you have to run for scissors or cutters, as there is a much easier remedy for this nightmare of a situation, WD-40.
Spray WD-40 on the gummed hair, comb them, and the gum will come out with ease. After combing, make sure to wash your hair thoroughly. Before you spray, ensure that you are in an area with good ventilation as the substance has petroleum, and you don’t want it around your body for a longer duration. You also don’t want to get it all over your clothes.
Keep Toilet Bowls Clean
Does your toiled bowl have stubborn stains? It is apparent that you’d like to clean it, but none of the special cleaning products seems to work on that ugly junk. To keep the stains from becoming permanent on it, use WD-40. Wet the area with stains with a spray, and then let it sit and soak the product up, just by waiting for a few minutes.
As the substance will settle down on stains, it will break down the gunk, and then you can scrub the area with a toilet brush. Moreover, it will also prevent any future debris from sticking along the sides. Once you have cleaned with WD-40, you can complete the cleaning with the products such as vinegar, bleach or plain soap.
Open a Rusty Door Lock
Nothing is more troublesome than coming home to find that you don’t have entry due to a rusty door lock. WD-40 is a light lubricant that attracts less dirt and loosens the rust accumulated in the lock. WD-40 also has a small skinny red nozzle to make it easier to spray into smaller areas. Spray a shot of WD-40 into the lock through the thin nozzle, and you will witness the crazy results within minutes.
The best part about using this lubricant is that it helps the key fit in the lock, regardless of the amount of rust in it. We recommend investing in a new lock if this is coming up as a consistent problem, but for that every once and a while issue, WD-40 comes to your rescue.
Is Your Phone Screen Cracked?
We’ve all been there. We drop our phones and look in disbelief when the screen is cracked. As disappointing as it is, there’s now a solution! Of course, WD-40 comes to the rescue again. Boy, do I wish that I knew about this temporary fix back when my phone screen cracked.
Sure, it won’t actually completely “cure” the crack, but it can really improve the appearance of the screen itself. That is, at least until you decide to finally go and fix the screen. Just go ahead and spray the WD40 on the screen, then grab a dry and clean cloth, and wipe everything off of the screen. You will see that it makes things a lot easier to look at.
Remove Tea and Coffee Stains from Furniture
Whether you are struggling through a late night assignment with a cup of tea or sipping on caffeine casually, we all are guilty of spilling them. With this, they become one of the toughest stains to remove from furniture items. You don’t want something so strong that it peels off the finish on your furniture, but you also don’t want something so light that it doesn’t budge. But you need not to worry as WD-40 helps you remove them.
Just apply a squirt or two of this cleaning solution on the surface, give it some time to work, and then scrub it with a clean cloth. As you start wiping it, you will see, the table will reflect a cleaner surface than ever.
No More Lipstick Marks on Your Collar
Well, lipstick marks are the stains that you don’t want to take home and show it to your significant other. They also don’t look good sticking on the collar of your white shirt. However, to get rid of them, spray a squirt of WD-40 on it. It comes with a water displacement formula that works as a pre-wash treatment for your stain.
Spray WD-40 directly on the stain; leave it there for few minutes, and wash it. You can remove it either by washing machine or hand wash. However, make sure you don’t wash it directly. Chances are the lipstick stain may spread on the entire collar. Also, don’t let the clothes dry until the stain is fully out. Once the stain sets, there is no going back.
Loosen Up the Stuck Zippers
No situation can come up worst rather than you waking up late and the finding that your bag, shoes or even your brand new sweater has got a stuck zipper on it. You might want to try tugging on it, but there is a chance that you might end up breaking it. WD-40 is the solution.
Spray it lightly on the zipper teeth, work it up and down, rub-off the excess substance and you’re good to go. If you want to avoid getting WD-40 on the fabric, spray it on a lid, and then apply it on the surface with a brush. The best thing is that it works for all kinds of zippers because of the petroleum inside of the product.
Remove Crayon and Marker Marks from Walls
Do your little ones use walls as a coloring book or are your walls already scribbled with wax crayons at some point? Perhaps it wasn’t even the kids, maybe some friends came over and had a few drinks. Well, you need not panic as WD-40 will come to your rescue. Although crayons are difficult to remove due to a waxy ingredient in it, WD-40s water displacement technology works for it.
Spray some WD-40 on the crayon stains, scrub them, and the stain will disappear in no time. The best thing about using this substance is that it will work without damaging the wall paints. So, whether your kid is a budding artist or likes to create artworks on walls, now you know how to clean them.
Clean Water Stains from Your Shower Door
Has your shower caused the water stains on the door? There is no denying that removing water stains is one of the most frustrating home cleaning problems. Personally, I have tried every product out there and haven’t found one yet. But not anymore! Find yourself some WD-40, get spraying on the shower door, let it sit down for 20 minutes, and rub them down with a cloth.
This process removes even the most resistant water stain. Not just the resilient, but it will also help you get rid of the unsightly water stains. While it may take you some time to clean the entire shower, the results will give you the shower back in its original condition. You might also be surprised at how dirty it was in the first place, and you didn’t even realize.
Remove Sticker and Decal Residue from Any Surface
We all have sticker residue stuck on the car windshield and bumpers, but who says you need a chisel or fingernail to remove it? Spray a squirt of WD-40 on it, let it lubricate the surface, and then wipe it off with the soap and a clean cloth. The lubrication that the WD-40 provides detaches the sticky part from whatever surface you’re trying to remove it from.
The same approach also works to remove stickers and decals from just about any surface. Coat the sticker with WD-40, wait for a few moments so that it can soak adequately, and then gently peel it away. However, make sure you wash your hands afterwards so that no substance is on your fingers.
Squirrel-Proof the Bird Feeders
While bird feeders are a great way to attract birds to do some bird-watching, it also draws pesky little squirrels. These creatures have a strong inclination to climb the poles mounted on the top and eat all the seeds in it. However, to prevent it, all you need is to spray the entire pole with WD-40.
The squirts of WD-40 will make the pole slippery enough making it so the squirrels will keep sliding as they attempt to score a free meal. Not only will this approach keep your bird feeder safe, but it will also prevent yourself from fighting with those squirrels. I would say to spray this around your garbage cans also, but that just seems like it would end badly for us and not the squirrels.
Remove That Tight Wedding Ring
There are times when the skin becomes sweaty and expands, and any pregnant woman knows what happens to her fingers during that period of time. Whether you need to remove it to change the ring or just to take it off once in a while, a spray or two of WD-40 slips it right off from the finger. This hack could have come in handy for me a few weeks back. I tried everything in the book, and this hack could have saved me some time.
Just a short burst of spray helps you take it off. So, while you are trying to lose those extra pounds or just planning to do the dishes, WD-40 will do nothing but help you remove it. Remember to wash your hands properly after spraying it on them.
Clean Tar Stains from Your Car
All car owners have gone through the pain of removing tar from their cars without scraping the paint from it. While many of you might be spending a fortune on expensive cleaning products, you don’t realize that a WD-40 can also do the trick. So, if you’d like to save some time cleaning your car, WD-40 is excellent at removing tar.
To clean tar stains, spray WD-40 on the affected area, wait for the product to settle in, and then gently scrub it away. Now we all know how important it is to most people that they put products on it that won’t mess with the paint. With this approach, you will find it easier to remove the stain, plus the car paint or polish will not suffer any damage.
Get Rid of Mildew from the Refrigerator Gasket
Like every other house owner, you might have dealt with mildew in your refrigerator gaskets. When moisture buildup coincides with the outer warmth, the gaskets in your refrigerator become a place for mildew and mold. To clean it, spray a spurt of WD-40 on the affected area, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it off.
You can also spray some WD-40 onto a rag or a clean cloth, and then wipe the mildew away. Use cotton swabs for tighter areas, and repeat it until all stains are gone. Not only will your fridge look new, but it should never attract the bacteria ever again. The WD-40 will act as a coating in the places that you used it to clean.
Break the Morning Frost Build-Up
Do you live in a country with a cold climate or does the weather forecast predict a winter snowstorm? You can’t stop the snowstorm from coming, but you can definitely prevent the snow or frost from building up on your windows, car mirrors, doors, and locks. Just spray a coat of WD-40 on it before the snow storm is about to come, and the frost won’t stick on it.
If there already is a frost build-up, spray some WD-40 on the windows, let it sit, and the frost will automatically melt away. Later, a wipe or two will wipe away the existing ice. This approach may seem cold and tedious to you, but the result makes you deal with no more ice.
Clean and Polish That Pair of Scissors
It comes as no surprise that scissors are a handy tool for various activities. Whether you want to sew, craft, cut chicken or do gardening, scissors always help. But with time, they rust, get gunk on them, and become sticky. We all know how annoying this can get. So, to clean and give them a longer life-time, just spray a dash of WD-40 on it.
Apply some of the WD-40 on the hinges and blades by opening and closing them repeatedly, let it sit, and wipe it down with a clean cloth to prevent rusting. Make sure that you do not use any water on it as it can cause rusting in the future. All you need to do is wipe it down with a dry cloth so it doesn’t get wet.
Keep Dead Bugs from Sticking on Your Car
Every time you plan a trip or drive on the highway, your car ends up getting bugs on it. There usually isn’t much that you can do about it. The dead bugs stick to everything when you’re driving that fast, be it car radiators, windshields or number plates. To avoid it, spray some WD-40 on the prone areas before you hit the road. This helps prevent the bugs from sticking.
As you spray to prevent bugs sticking, you can use a dry and clean cloth to help you take off the sticky residue. You can also take a squirt on the cloth, wipe the affected area, and the bugs that are stuck will just slide right off.
The next one is for anyone who is a fan of make-up…
Clean Mascara from Hardwood Floors
We apply mascara on eyelashes, but that wand sometimes slips out of your hands and ends up on the floors. You don’t have to clean up with water, even if you wanted to it doesn’t fully take it off. Turn to WD-40 instead. All that you need is the WD-40 and a dry, clean cloth. Just use a couple of sprays and then wipe it off with the clean cloth.
Cleaning with WD-40 will not only restore the floor to its original condition, but it will do this without actually damaging its integrity. This trick is not just for mascara, though. It will help you remove all the makeup product spills, be it lipstick, foundation, eyeliners, eyeshadows, eyelash glue or blushes.
Extend the Life of Shower Heads
A great shower is essential to enhance your everyday bathing, and overall experience. This can make or break your day. But shower heads get grimy with time and sometimes have rust in them. I know personally, I can’t get in the shower when the showerhead isn’t 100% clean. So, have you ever thought of a substance that can help extend the life of shower heads?
Extend the life of shower heads by spraying them with WD-40, letting it sit for a few minutes, and then rubbing it down it with a dry, clean cloth. This process will help prevent rust formation and will remove any water stains as well. You can also use WD-40 for other bathroom fixtures to prolong how long they last for you.
Filter Dust from the Air Conditioner
In the summer season with its scorching heat, we can’t imagine our lives without air conditioners. ACs act as lifesavers but they also come with a lot of problems. The main problem we are focusing on here is the machines blow around the dust. While you prefer to leave the maintenance to professionals, how about trying a WD-40 hack?
First, clean out the filter as you normally would. Then, spray some WD-40 on the filter. This cleaning solution will enable the dust to aggregate instead of entering your home. Not only does this approach give you cleaner air, but an honest and good filter helps cut down on energy bills and keeps your air conditioning running efficiently. Moreover, you will also get cleaner air to breathe in.
Remove Leftover Adhesive From Any Surface
Whether you are to fix something or hold things together, Adhesive tapes work excellent on any surface. But removing it without leaving any residue is no less than a daunting task. If you are also dealing with the same situation, look no further than using WD-40. This solution works for all of the tags and tapes that just refuse to come off.
To remove the leftover tape, drench the surface with a spray of WD-40, let it sit for a few minutes on the area with the tape, and then wipe all of the leftover tape off. So, regardless of what you use your adhesive tape for, now you know how to clean its residue off of just about anything.
Keep Your Shovel Snow-Free
While most of the applications need a spray or squirt of WD-40, you’ll need plenty of it from this specific tip. Applying liberal amount, but a thin layer of this substance to both the sides of the shovel will prevent the snow from building on it. If you have a snow thrower, you can spray it on the inside walls of the chute so that snow does not clog it.
However, you will have to keep it handy, as you will more probably need to reapply it every once in a while. Not only will WD-40 keeps the shovel snow free, but it will also enable the shovel to get through different materials quicker, like dirt, mud, or even gravel.
Clean Dirty Tiles in your House
Have dirty tiles in your bathroom or kitchen? Well, you are not the one! The tiles come in dull colors and are quite prone to get dirty. You might have used a soap solution to clean them, but here is an easy remedy to get that dirt, filth, and grim off. What else could I recommend here but to use the infamous WD-40.
Spray WD-40 on the dirty tiles and wipe the dirt off with a dry, clean cloth. But after cleaning it with WD-40, it is very important to make sure that you clean the tiles with soapy water as this cleaning solution is a bit slippery, and you definitely don’t want to slip and fall on your way.
Remove Stuck Prostheses
If you or someone you know wears a prosthetic device, you might be aware of how difficult it can be to remove at times. It can be even tougher when no one is around to help you. But who says you need to depend on someone else to be around at the time? The trick is to have a can of WD-40 by your side.
Next time you see an individual having trouble removing their prosthesis, just let them know that they can spray some WD-40 at the junction. The WD-40 contains solvents and lubricants that make it easier to remove it.
Did you know that now there are approximately 31,000 prostheses sold per year? The earliest prosthesis discovered was actually for a big toe. It was found in Egypt, and is said to be dated between 710-950 B.C.E.
Clean Toothpaste Residue From Sinks
Do you have toothpaste residue or another residue stuck in your sink? These can be some of the trickiest messes to remove, but you can get rid of them by using WD-40. This substance works like a miracle in cleaning out all of the leftover residue that’s stuck in your sink.
Spray a squirt or two on the area with residue, let it soak in, and then wipe the gunk with a scrubber. With this cleaning process, you’ll have a fresh sink that is all set for your cooking, party, and potluck adventures. I don’t know about you, but for me, having clean sinks and other surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen just helps me keep it cleaner in the long run.
Separate Stuck Glassware
Is there anything more annoying in the kitchen than you reach for a drinking glass and getting them locked (stuck tightly inside other) together? It’s dangerous when drinking glasses get stuck together because they can break as you try to unlock them. Now, you don’t want to risk breaking one of them or both by trying to pull them apart, neither you will like to exert extra force on your precious wares.
However, stuck glasses separate with ease if you spray some WD-40 on the joint line. Wait for some time so that substance can work its way between the glasses. Now, just pull the glasses apart very gently. But remember to wash the glass thoroughly with a soap solution before you use them.
Restore and Clean your Vehicle’s License Plates
Vehicle’s License Plates are made up of metal and tend to rust, as they come in contact with water or moisture. However, there is no need to leave them like that anymore. To help restore a license plate, spray it all over with WD-40, let the area soak in the solution, and then wipe the rust and dirt off with a dry, clean rag.
WD-40 will remove the light surface rust from the plate and won’t leave it with a greasy feel. In fact, not only it will remove the current rust on it, but it will also work to prevent further corrosion occurrence in the future. After hearing this, you just can’t go wrong with keeping WD-40 in your car at all times.
Prevent Wasps from Building Nests
Don’t let the wasps, yellow jackets, or other insects ruin your spring and summer garden or your outdoor parties. We all know that most people are not excited to have these insects flying around. Bees and wasps tend to build nests under eaves, and in nooks and crannies of your house. So, the next time that the spring season is here or just about arriving, spray some WD-40 under all the places that are prone to nest building.
WD-40 has a strong effect and will block the wasps from building their nests in the nooks. However, be careful when you start the spraying. If you spray it in the evening or when the temperature is low, the wasps do not move quickly because of the colder temperatures.
Remove Doggie-Doo from Your Sneaker
Have you ever stepped in dog poop while you were on your evening walk? Although cleaning it off from the bottom of your sneaker is quite unpleasant, the whole process becomes a lot easier with a can of WD-40. Just spray some of it on the sole of your shoe, and then use an old toothbrush like you normally would to clean the crevices.
After cleaning, rinse them with cold water, and your shoes will be as good as now. There won’t be any dog poop that couldn’t get off and you have to just deal with. Moreover, now you are all set to go back on your daily stroll. But next time you hit the pavement, watch your step.
Remove and Prevent Fingerprints
Fingerprints are not only caused by a sweaty or dirty hand, but they can also occur due to the oil that your skin produces naturally. If you have kids around your home, you’ll know that none of the surfaces are free from fingerprints. Personally, I have made myself crazy before with constant cleaning of the stainless steel appliances in my kitchen.
However, it is much easier to keep up with the cleaning with this hack. If you see fingerprints on stainless steel surfaces, use WD-40. Spray a spurt of WD-40 on the surface with fingerprints and then clean them off. As WD-40 is water-based and contains a solvent, it works as a degreaser and removes every inch of the marks.
Remove Strong Glue from your Fingers
Have you been doing a few Do-It-Yourself tasks? Forgot to wear protective gloves when using strong glue and now some of it is on your fingers? Well, this can happen to anyone. Moreover, the glue is basically impossible to remove from your skin. If you didn’t guess what I was going to recommend already, there is one miracle product known as WD-40 that makes the glue removal process a lot easier.
Just reach for some WD-40, spray it directly on your fingers, and rub your hands together, until your fingers are no longer sticky. You can use this glue removal hack to easily remove glue from other unwanted surfaces as well. Just make sure to use a dry, clean cloth for surfaces that could be scratched.
Prevent Corrosion on Guitar Strings
If you are a guitarist, or play any other string instrument, you might have noticed that strings often tend to corrode. We know that the strings can affect the sound, the way the instrument plays, and the way it feels when you play it. To clean and prevent corrosion of guitar strings, just apply a small amount of WD-40 on the strings after every guitar playing session.
You can spray it on a rag or a dry, clean cloth and then wipe the strings with it. Just make sure that you don’t spray it directly on the guitar strings as you don’t want WD-40 to build upon the instruments body. You can use this same process to clean your other string instruments, as well.
Remove Grease from your Hands
Whether you are fixing your car or working with radiators, your hands get black and greasy with grime. But instead of spreading black grease all over your sink, use WD-40. Spray some WD-40 on your hands, rub them together, and then wipe with a paper towel.
Ensure that you wash your hands so that extra grease and WD-40 can get off. Don’t use soap solutions before spraying WD-40, as it may not work to its full potential.
Did you know that engine oil is meant to withstand extreme temperatures? That’s right, it can withstand anywhere from 53 degrees Celsius to -50 degrees Celsius. Engines just heat up during a drive, this is just something that happens. Also, cars should just be run optimally no matter what the weather is.
Break in your New Baseball Glove
Breaking in a new baseball glove is one of the uses of WD-40 that might have not crossed your mind yet. Until now, you might be using neat’s foot oil to break in it, but how about using WD-40, instead? Spray the glove, put a baseball in your palm, and fold it sideways.
Take a band and tie it around the folded glove. The WD-40 will soften the leather and help it form the shape around baseball. Keep the glove overnight, wear it for a while, and it will begin to take the shape of your hand.
Did you know that the longest baseball game in history lasted 26 innings? I bet after that game, everyone’s glove was broken in.
Keep Wooden Tool Handles Smooth
We know that no tools can last forever, be it wood or metal, but you can prolong the life of wooden tool handles by preventing splintering. Not only for prolonging its life, but none of us enjoy getting a splinter. Just reach out for a can of WD-40 from your garage and rub a good amount of this substance on all of your wooden tools.
This layer of WD-40 will shield the handles of wood tools from moisture, water, and other corrosive elements. Moreover, it will increase its life and keep the wooden tool handle smooth and splinter-free. With tricks like this, I like to purchase the more expensive product. It’s more worth it when you know you can keep it in good condition.
Keep Wind Chimes Rust-Free
What’s more soothing than the soft twinkling of wind chimes on a windy summer day? But, during the cold and rainy days, these chimes have to put up with a lot. They are in contact with moisture and often tend to rust or corrode. To keep them rust free, all you need is to do is give them a spray of WD-40. This substance acts as water displacement formula, due to which, it prevents and remove rust. Once they are rust-free, they look great and sound lovely.
Did you know that wind chimes work with a wind energy, feng, to enhance the chi? If you hang wind chimes by the back door when it is directly in line with the front door of the house, then it will prevent all of the good chi from rushing out of your house. If you place the chimes near a fan or in front of an open window, then it is keeping the energies circulating while you are not home.
Untangle Old Jewelry
There are times when you don’t wear our old jewelry pieces including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more. But you also can’t leave them tangled in your jewelry box or can’t spend hours in untangling them. If you ever see yourself in this situation, use WD-40.
Just spray a small amount of WD-40 on the jewelry tangles. The knots will then loosen up automatically, and the items will slide apart more easily. Make sure that you don’t use a large amount of WD-40 as it may harm your jewelry.
Another trick to remember when detangling jewelry is that the more gentle that you are with it, the easier it will just come apart. So, between this and the WD-40, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Remove Tomato Sauce Stains from your Clothes
We agree that snacks don’t taste their best without tomato puree. But when you were indulging in it, your blouse or shirt gets hard-to-remove stains on it. I can’t count how many shirts I’ve ruined with tomato sauce before I heard of this hack. Before you dip the shirt in a detergent solution and wait for hours to clean it, try WD-40.
Spray a squirt of WD-40 directly on the spot, wait for few minutes, and then wash the shirt as usual. You can also remove the stains from other sauces by using this same process. Now, whether you are not able to resist the homegrown tomatoes or want to have some sauce, you know how to get rid of the stains.
Dawn Dish Soap Can Do A Lot!
If you loved all those WD40 hacks, you’re definitely going to love these dish soap hacks. Do you have a bottle of Dawn dish soap? It does a lot more than just clean your dirty dishes. For instance, do you have an oil stain on your driveway?
Squirt a large amount of the soap onto the oil stain and use a large bristle brush to scrub it stain until you see the oil pulling out of the asphalt. Rinse it off with a hose and continue to repeat the process until the stain is completely gone. There’s nothing like coming home to a clean driveway after a long day at work.
Next, see another common household product that has limitless uses!
Dawn Dish Soap Hacks
Dawn Dish Soap is something we all have in our kitchens, right? But you’d be surprised at how much uses you can get out of the blue dish soap. Cleaning dishes is what it’s marketed as. But did you know you can use for cleaning stains and windows and even your grill?
Let’s start with using Dawn for injuries. You can put some of the soap in a ziplock bag and freeze it. Now, you might be wondering what the point of freezing soap is to make ice packs when you can just freeze water in a ziplock bag. Well, there’s a fun life hack that you might not know of. When you freeze a combination of Dawn soap and water, the soap prevents it from freezing completely. So it ends up becoming the perfect ice pack for wrapping around your elbow, shoulders, and knees.
Sparkling Window Cleaner
This is considered one of the best uses of the soap – and one that many people who buy Dawn dish soap might not even consider. But the soap is perfect for cleaning windows, leaving them sparkly clean.
This tip was actually provided by a professional cleaning company, and now it’s the only method many people who know of the hack use. Place a few drops of Dawn in your container with a couple inches of water. Here’s what you do: dip a scrubby pad into water and squeeze out, scrub the glass, the Dawn and the scrubby gets the dirt off without leaving residue. Squeegee the window, starting at the top and working down, wiping off the blade every time with a cloth.
DIY Grill Cleaner
Everyone who loves BBQing doesn’t love the clean-up involved afterward when it comes to scrubbing the grill. But guess what? Dawn is good for that too. Dawn’s grease and oil-fighting power is the perfect way to clean your barbecue grill.
What you do is fill a bucket or sink with hot water and a spray a squirt or two of Dawn soap. Let your grill racks soak for about 10-15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. It’s a lot easier than your previous way of cleaning them. If you don’t have a bucket big enough for your grill rack, I recommend going to pick one up because this hack is worth it.
This next hack will help you come home to newer seeming floors.
Grout Cleaner For Your Floors
Who doesn’t hate cleaning dirty tile and floor grout? Dirty grout makes cleaning day that much worse. But thankfully, this chore can be made a lot easier with this simple hack using none other than Dawn dish soap, some vinegar and a toothbrush or hard-bristled cleaning brush.
First, place a cup of vinegar in the microwave, zap it for one minute and then put in a spray bottle. Add one cup of the soap to the spray bottle and give it a shake. Spray the solution on your grout and let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing the dirt away. You can use a toothbrush or a hard-bristled brush that was made for cleaning. Once you scrub, just rinse the floor with water and voila!
DIY Carpet Cleaner
All pet owners, parents, and wine-lovers alike know that carpets can get their fair share of stains. And everyone needs a handy carpet cleaner hack when the moment comes. If you have a nasty stain on your carpet, you actually don’t need to buy expensive carpet cleaners.
This DIY cleaner will have your carpets looking brand new. In a spray bottle, combine 2 ounces of hydrogen peroxide and 1 ounce of Dawn dish soap. Spray the stain and then scrub it with a rag. Then, spray the stain with some plain water and scrub to remove any remnants of the stain as well as the soap.
Also, I heard that white wine removes red wine from carpets. So if you don’t mind wasting some wine, you can pour the white wine on the red wine.
Ant and Insect Repellent
Ants are the worst! There’s never just one, they always come out in the hundreds. If you’ve noticed them crawling around your kitchen lately, don’t freak out just yet. There’s a great hack for getting rid of ants and other insects, and it only takes three ingredients to make it!
What you do is get a spray bottle, mix a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, mouthwash, and some Dawn dish soap together. Then you can spray the area where they’re coming in from or congregating, and wait for about 5-10 minutes. Then just wipe up the spray and the ants together. Not only will this help clean them up in the moment, it should prevent them from coming back for a bit.
Brush and Comb Cleaner
Over time, oils and hair products end up building up on our combs and brushes which makes them yucky and just not the best way to brush your hair. They, like all things, need a cleaning once in a while. This simple dish soap hack requires Dawn dish soap, Borax, and hot water. And start by removing all the hair from the brushes.
Fill your sink with warm water. Add a 1/4 cup of Borax and swish it around to help it dissolve. Squirt some dish soap in the sink and then finish filling the sink with warm water. Place the combs and hairbrushes in the soapy water and let them sit for a while. 30 to 45 minutes should do it. After that, your combs and brushes will be clean again.
Toilet De-Clogger
Look, it happens to the best of us. Toilets get clogged sometimes and un-clogging them isn’t the most fun. But that’s why hacks are so great. They make things that aren’t even close to fun easier to get done. And a clogged toilet is one of those unnecessary evils.
If your toilet is clogged, Dawn will help. Just pour a pot of warm water in the bowl and a few squirts of Dawn, then plunge or flush away the clog. The grease-cutting properties of the soap will break down oils and other materials in the drain, which helps remove the clog. Not only this, it will help take care of stains around the bowl, just give it a quick wipe down with the toilet brush after plunging.
Non-Toxic Pest Killer for Your Garden
Lots of people nowadays are looking for non-toxic ways to do pretty much everything, including getting rid of pests. There is nothing worse than bringing in your vegetables for harvest and having a spider fall out of one, or even have holes from insects biting the leaves. Here’s a dish soap hack for getting rid of pests in your garden without any toxins involved.
Although a Dawn soap and water mixture won’t kill all insects, it’s great for repelling spider mites, aphids, and other common pests that tend to show up in your garden. Fully coat with the spray, which should be in a solution of 2 to 3 percent. After this, you’ll notice that you don’t have as many random pests just hanging around in your flowers or vegetables.
DIY De-Icer
Ice on your sidewalk and driveway can be de-iced in more than one way. Buying large sacks of salt is one way, but it costs more money and it’s heavy to lug around. Or there is a lot of ice this season, and you just ran out of salt. Using dish soap is said to be a lot easier.
Mix a tablespoon of Dawn soap with a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and about a half-gallon of warm water. Pour the mixture over the icy area and it will help prevent the sidewalk, stoop, or driveway from re-freezing. It also helps to push what is left out of the way with a shovel or a broom just to make sure it really doesn’t re-freeze.
A Homemade Flea Bath
Does your dog have fleas? Flea medication can be really expensive and as well as rough on your dog’s skin and fur. This hack is said to be a lot less harsh, yet still just as effective. To top things off, it uses our good old friend Dawn.
What you do is fill your bathtub with warm water, add one cup of the dish soap, and just soak your pet in the mixture for five minutes. After that, give them a good scrub from head to toe and rinse all of the soap mixture out of your dog’s hair. Then, let them air dry and use a comb to comb through their fur to remove any fleas still hanging around.
Eyeglass Cleaner and De- Fogger
Anyone with glasses knows that they get all smudgy and foggy faster than we would like them to. And sometimes that little silky cloth for wiping your glasses just doesn’t do the trick on its own. Of course, there’s a hack for this problem too.
Using a small spray bottle, make a mixture of one part water, one part rubbing alcohol, and just a drop of Dawn dish soap. Spray the mixture onto your glasses and then rub around using the soft microfiber cloth. Your lenses will be so much cleaner in the end and you’ll be seeing clearer for a longer period of time!
This hack can also be great for cleaning the mirrors and other glass surfaces off around your household.
De-Grease Your Tools
Whether you or your husband uses the tools often, cleaning the grease off of them doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore. It literally takes only seconds to clean greasy tools with Dawn Dish Soap.
All you need to do is drop a tablespoon of Dawn in a gallon of hot water. Use a rag to remove all the oil and grease from your tools. And there you go – your once really dirty and greasy tools are now clean and looking new.
If you are working with metal tools, just make sure to completely dry them off afterwards so that they don’t get rusty. Also you can spray some WD-40 on them to keep them from rusting in the future.
Homemade Bubble Fun
Who doesn’t love bubbles? If your kids are asking you for a bubbly good time, you can use Dawn soap to create a fun afternoon. So, instead of spending money on pre-made bubbles, you can just make your own!
You need a cup of Dawn, 6 cups of water, a 1/4 cup of light corn syrup, and a container. Put the water in the container and slowly pour the soap while stirring, without making it foam or bubble. Then, add the corn syrup, stir, and you’re all set!
If you want to take this hack to the next level, you can pick up some small containers from the crafts store and decorate them. You can even have the kids decorate their own containers, and you can make this into a birthday activity.
Hair Color Rescue
If you’re someone who prefers to dye your hair at home, but went overboard by accident, there’s an easy way to rescue your hair. For those who like to dye their hair dark, don’t worry if you’ve found the tone to be a darker than the one you wanted.
It may seem strange, but you can use Dawn to help. Just use the soap in place of your shampoo to lightly strip the color that you deposited down to your desired shade.
Remember that if you lightened your hair, the lightener will not come out bringing you back to the color you were before as color just doesn’t work this way. This will only work if you colored you hair darker with box dye.
Remove Bathtub Soap Scum
Cleaning day is coming up and you know your bath tub needs a scrubbing. Use this hack and you’ll end up using it every cleaning day. Dawn is really a miracle worker when it comes to cleaning the bathroom. Pour the liquid soap over the dirty area of the tub and let it sit overnight. Then the next morning, go and rinse it clean with water.
You’ll see how it cuts through all the scum, grease, and grime without harming the material. Another way to cut down on your shower needing to be cleaned in general is to make sure to squeegee off all of the water and soap each time you are done using the shower. I even go as far as to wipe the walls and floor down with a dry washcloth so there is no water or soap build up left.
Car Wash
If you’re looking to clean your car tomorrow or next week on a nice sunny day in your driveway, you can use Dawn for that too. For a sparkling clean car, Dawn is the best solution. There is no need for an expensive product when all you need is some good old-fashioned soap and water.
Mix a tablespoon of Dawn liquid to one gallon of warm water and use that soapy solution to scrub your car with a soft sponge or cloth. Make sure not to use a hard sponge or something that can scratch your cars exterior. Just remember that the Dawn soap will remove any protective wax you have on your car, so you’ll need to re-wax it afterward.
Removing Fleas from Your Carpets and Furniture
If your pet has fleas, chances are, those pesky little insects are probably living in your carpet also. So, after you’ve given your pet its flea bath as mentioned above(with the same dish soap), make sure to clean your carpets too.
Pour a tablespoon of Dawn into a spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Spritz your carpet and furniture and then let it sit for 15 minutes. Wipe everything off with a damp towel and then vacuum the carpet to remove the excess soap along with any dead fleas.
A cool and not humid climate is what fleas don’t like the most, so you can also freeze out your house to try and help get rid of them all.
Clean Oily Skin
If your skin is prone to being on the oily side, Dawn is going to be your new best friend. Use the dish soap in your daily routine by washing your face with just a few drops of Dawn and some lukewarm water. Lather the soap and water up in your hands and then wash your face off using circular motions with your fingers.
But you need to be sure to rinse your face thoroughly. Then once you’re done with this, just splash some cold water over your face to close your clean pores up. This helps prevent new ‘dirt’ from getting in our skin. The Dawn is really great at cutting through the grease without drying out your skin. And it’s a lot cheaper than any of the fancy face washes out there!
DIY Floor and Wall Cleaner
Not only do you have to wash your floors, but your walls need a cleaning once in a while too! You can get your walls and floors looking like new also by using this Dawn hack. You’re going to need some Dawn, Borax, ammonia, and water.
Add half a teaspoon of the liquid soap, half a cup of Borax, and one teaspoon of ammonia to two gallons of warm water. Use gloves and a soft rag or a scrubbing brush to clean the floors and walls. You’ll watch the dirt and fingerprints come right off. Once you are done with your floors, be sure to wipe down them down with water to get any excess product off to prevent stickiness.
Keep Houseplants Insect-Free
If you have plants in your home also, you know that they can attract insects, like ants and other little critters. Not to worry, there’s a hack using Dawn for this too. Similar to the hack for your garden, the dish soap mixture can help with your indoor plants.
Use a spray bottle and place a drop of Dawn inside, then fill the rest with water. Shake well and spray your houseplants. It will prevent any insects from wanting to eat them or make it their home. The soapy water mixture is safe and non-toxic. If you are growing herbs or other edible plants inside, still make sure to wash them well so that you get all of the soap off before eating.
Use as Shampoo
Remember the hack for hair-dyed hair? Well the soap doesn’t only work well to lighten the shade of your extra-dark hair. It can also be used as a regular shampoo. And if you have oily hair, it’s especially effective. Think of this soap with water as more of a clarifying shampoo.
You only need a few drops and some water. But make sure to rinse thoroughly afterward. You’ll be using a lot less than you think you need and thus spending a lot less too! It should remove more of the buildup of product that is in your hair. You can also use a nice conditioner or mask afterwards, which you will notice feels a lot lighter now that the buildup was removed.
Remove Soot from Your Fireplace
Soot and ash tends to harden and settle around your fireplace making the whole thing look rather unsightly and dirty. But Dawn is an easy fix for that. Just mix an equal part of the dish soap with iodized table salt. Then you need to add enough water to make it into a paste or cream.
Rub the mixture onto the stained bricks and let them dry for 10 minutes. Wipe them clean with a sponge and warm water until you can see that there is no ash left on the surface of the fireplace and you’re good to go. If there is any stuck, just repeat the process.
There are more great hacks out there, like this next one.
No More Painting Mess
If you’re about to paint a room and don’t want to get paint splatters are all over your skin, you can use Dawn to both prevent it and clean it up, making the whole process easier than you think. We all know how annoying it can be to have to remove the mess we make when painting.
Apply a layer of dish soap over your hands and arms then let it dry. Then when you paint and happen to get any on yourself during the job, it will come right off when you wash your arms and hands with water. Next time I paint, I am going to try this with my face as well. For some reason, I always end up with tiny drops of paint everywhere.
Remove Food Stains from Clothing
It sucks when you end up spilling food or drinks on your new or newly washed shirt. And it happens a lot more often when you have little kids in the house. But this dish soap hack will do the job of making that shirt look like you just went out and bought a new one.
Remove any food stains from your clothing by mixing 2 teaspoons of Dawn with two teaspoons of white vinegar and two quarts of warm water. Then just use the solution to soak and dissolve the stain, give the shirt a good wash, and it’ll be gone in no time.
The trick with stains on fabric is that if it is still there, don’t let the shirt dry. Try the hack again it is gone and then you can dry the shirt. It is said that once you try to remove a stain and let it dry, whatever is left won’t come out.
Finding a Puncture in a Tire
If you have a leaky car or bicycle tire but you can’t find where the hole is, you guess it correctly, Dawn can help with that. You might be wondering how the heck dish soap can help with finding a hole in a tire. But it surely can.
You need to mix a few drops of Dawn with some water and brush the liquid around the tire. You’ll be looking for small bubbles that will indicate where the puncture is. Once you can figure out where the hole is located, you’ll know if you can just fix it easily or replace it.
The next hack for Dawn dish soap is one that you will want to remember for future reference.
Help for a Yeast Infection
Anyone who has had yeast infections, which is the majority of women out there, knows how unpleasant and uncomfortable they can be. The medication for them can be expensive, especially if they reoccur and you need more than one treatment. Well, do we have a great hack for anyone in this situation.
You can make your own treatment at home using Dawn dish soap. This method can kill and stop the fungus from spreading by putting a few drops of the soap on the crotch of your underwear. Scrub it with water, then toss in the washing machine. It also helps to use this soap in the shower as well.
This next trick can help keep the wheels in your car clean.
Remove Brake Dust from Car Wheels
Since Dawn is so wonderful at cutting through grease due to the solvent in it, it makes for the perfect tool for cleaning your car, including its wheels. If your car wheels have lots of dust built up from braking, you can just use dish soap to clean it up.
Mix a few drops of Dawn in a bucket of water and simply sponge down your car wheels with the soapy mixture. Rinse the wheels clean with a hose and these wheels will be sparkling for you like they’re brand new. If the first round didn’t clean everything off of them, just repeat the process a second time.
This next hack will help out all of us reading this article who deal with cables and tight spaces.
Guide and Fish Cable Through Conduits
It may be a very specific situation, but when you need to guide cables through tight spaces, it can be a real pain. We can help make it easier with some Dawn dish soap. While this is a great hack, make sure not to be spraying this liquid near any electricity.
All that you need a spray bottle with water and a few drops of Dawn to spray the cable with the mixture before you guide it through the conduit or tube. The soap will help guide the cables through the windy and tight spaces, making it easier to fish the cables out of the other side too.
We already brought up insects on plants and insects that are already in your home, but how do we keep them from coming in?
Prevent Insects from Coming Into Your Home
Although Dawn can be a great solution for getting rid of insects and ants that have already found their way into your home, it’s also good way to prevent them from getting in in the first place! The solution here is very easy to put in place.
All you need to do is squeeze out a line of the liquid dish soap around your home’s door jams and window sills. Also, make sure to place this line of liquid dish soap around any other holes that the insects tend to get inside with. This way, the insects will get caught in the soap before they can get inside. Getting rid of them is as easy as using a wet sponge or a hose.
A Manicure Miracle
If you’re someone that likes to save some money and do your own manicures at home, you’re going to want to use this Dawn hack. This hack is going to act as the solutionthat you soak your nails in when you are getting a manicure at the salon. The only difference is it isn’t a professional product. All that you need to do is soak your fingers in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of Dawn.
It will soften your cuticles, making it easier for you to remove them. The soap will also remove oils from your nails, making it easier to adhere the nail polish. So make this part of your new manicure routine and you’ll be happy you did when you see the results.
Clean the Kiddie Pool
Those plastic wading pools that kids use in the summer months can be a source of fun, for sure. Whether you are a child or an adult who is just way too hot on a nice summer day, we’ve all used a kiddie pool at one point. But they can get moldy and grimy pretty quickly.
To clean it up, dump out the water from the pool and scrub it with Dawn using a wet sponge. Also, make sure that when you store it, the pool is completely dried out to avoid the mold and mildew. Avoid using any bleach because it will only weaken and dry out the plastic.
This next hack can really help in an itchy situation.
Soothe Poison Ivy Blisters
Poison ivy rashes and blisters tend to spread when the oil of the blisters pops and moves to other areas of the skin, making it for an itchy, inflamed, and uncomfortable experience. Just like other uncomfortable situations which have been mentioned already, I’m going to recommend Dawn as a great solution here.
Since Dawn is great for getting rid of oils, it’s perfect for soothing any poison ivy blisters. Wash the affected area with the soap and it will help dry up the blisters, preventing them from spreading to other areas of your body.
Just a fun fact, the rash itself isn’t actually contagious. The only way to get it is from the chemical urushiol which is in the plant, and could potentially be left on a person’s clothing after contact.
Pool Cleaner
Just as Dawn is great for cleaning kiddie pools, it’s also a great cleaning method for in-ground pools as well. Does it take too long to clean out your pool to the point where you can’t clean it as often as you would like to? Cleaning your pool doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore anymore, thanks to Dawn.
If you squirt the soap down the length of the pool, all of the suntan lotion, dirt, and other yucky stuff will move toward the edges of the pool, making it all easy to scoop up! The pool will absolutely sparkly clean afterward.
One of the next things can be very irritating, but not to worry, we have a fix for you.
Non-Toxic Lubricant
If there is anything that causes a headache, it’s a squeaky door hinge! Nothing is more annoying than that. Well I can think of a few things, but this is easily fixable and doesn’t need to ruin your day! Apply a little drop of soap on the squeaky hinge and your squeaky door will be squeaky no more.
It works like a charm and it also cleans the parts that it’s lubricating. Double whammy, indeed. Just make sure to completely dry off the metal afterwards so that the piece doesn’t rust. You can also throw some WD-40 in there and then wipe it off with a dry, clean cloth.
This next one is for anyone who appreciates a nice fruit tree.
Aphid-Free Fruit Trees
Aphids can be every gardener’s worst enemy. While these insects only live between one week to 40 days, they can reproduce very quickly and it doesn’t take long for them to multiply and take over your garden. These insects damage the plants by sucking sap from any new growth the plants have.
You can keep these insects off your fruit trees by following this simple hack. Mix two tablespoons of Dawn soap into a gallon of water and add it to a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Spray both sides of the leaves, branches, and also the trunk. Let them sit and soak it up for 15 minutes, and then be sure to rinse the tree thoroughly afterward with a hose.
Clean Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers are super economical and good for the environment, but the problem is having to clean them, which is no fun at all! Not to worry, you can clean them quickly and without any hassle with Dawn. As Dawn helps remove oils, it will make it easier to keep up with using cloth diapers.
Just prepare your washing machine with the dirty cloth diapers inside and the usual soap, and then add a drop of Dawn dish soap to the mix. Make sure to run a hot wash and rinse until there are no more bubbles left. However, don’t overdo it as you could end up having a sudsy mess on your hands like one you usually would see in a movie.
Make Tarnished Jewelry Shine Again
Dawn may be really tough on grease and oil, but it’s surprisingly gentle on jewelry and metals. This is why it also makes a great jewelry cleaner. You guess it, we will mix together seven parts hot water with one part ammonia and just a dab of Dawn dish soap.
Use an old toothbrush to scrub your jewelry with the mixture until it’s sparkling and clean like when you first bought it. If the jewelry seems a bit more fragile, feel free to use a soft bristle toothbrush so that nothing happens to the jewelry. Once you finish cleaning it off, rinse off the excess product and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
This last one is a great hack which can save you some nice money in the long run.
Cleaning Your Makeup Sponges
In addition to cleaning your brushes, you can also use Dawn to clean your makeup sponges. Make a solution of 2 cups warm water and 1-2 drops of Dawn. Soak your make-up sponges in the solution for around 30 minutes. Rinse and repeat until they’re clean.
There is also rubber mat that has recently been put out on the market with little dots on it which you can rub your make up brushes and sponges on with the water and Dawn mixture. This product really helps you make sure that there is no make-up left sitting in these make-up tools. Make sure to dry them fully afterward before putting them away so you don’t risk mold or mildew inside the sponge.