How to Clean Cloudy Headlights

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Cloudy Headlights are more than just a eye sorel they can be dangerous.

The clouded film over your headlights can make them dangerously dim and impair your ability to see clearly at night. As your car ages, the plastic cover on headlight can yellow. You should routinely check the coating on your headlights and restore or replace them is you find your headlight have discolored.

The AAA study suggests that the deterioration of the plastic can dim you headlight brightness by as much as 80 percent. New Headlights are estimated to light your path for 300 feet, Driving at 60 mph it is estimated that you need 300 to 350 feet to see, react, and come to a stop. If your headlights are only working at 20% you can only see 60’ in front of your car at 60 miles per hour.

There are many lens cleaning kits on the market as well as home remedies online. We learned that restoration is not a long-term fix and will have to be done monthly.

Who would have guessed, I spray Deep Woods Off bug spray on the headlight lens and let it sit for a minute before buffing off. I actually repeated the process twice to get the results above. I cleaned the headlight on the right with bug spray compared to the left headlight that had not been restored yet.

How to Restore Your Car Headlights Inexpensively

I found you can use other cleaners you might already have around your home to get similar results to clean the yellow discoloration on your car’s headlights. .

  • Bug Spray
    • Spay on a cloth to make sure you don’t get it on the paint and buff off
      • Leaves headlight sticky
  • Toothpaste
    • Use a soft cloth to buff your headlight with toothpaste adding Baking soda is suggested for better results.
    • Takes longer to get results. (Did not work as well as off)
  • Vinegar and Baking Soda
    • Make a paste
    • Use a soft cloth to buff your headlight
  • WD 40
    • Spay on a cloth to make sure you don’t get it on the paint and buff off

Using a coat of car wax with a UV protectant will keep your headlight clear longer.

To get results that last longer I would recommend replacing the headlight lens, New headlight lens tends to start getting foggy in 3 to 5years. There are many cleaning kits on the market that require sanding and buffing but the results seem to last longer than the home remedies.