If your headlights are cloudy up like a rough looking Monday afternoon and you can barely see the bulb behind the glass/plastic/Plexiglas/acrylic/lexan/whatever – it’s high time to break out the elbow grease and the headlight cleaner. However if you don’t have proper headlight cleaner on hand, we have discovered something that also works well…
…Brasso metal cleaner!
Wait, that stuff your grandparents break out to make sure the silverware sparkles more than a dentists smile? Yes that one.
You mean the stuff dad used to remove the tarnish on that really ornate ice bucket once a year for special occasions like pre-Christmas drinks? Yes that Brasso.
That stuff that works wonders on metal and smells bad? Absolutely, that Brasso.
I’m sure you or a member of your family have a can of the stuff somewhere..
But it says nothing on the back of the can about being able to use it to clean your headlights…
Of course it doesn’t, it’s metal polish. However the abrasive cleaning agents (there’s probably some kind of official scientific name for it but I’ll be buggered if I know what it is…) do a great job of getting rid of that awful looking cloud cover making your headlights look ancient. While it smells worse than usual headlight cleaners and sealants, it still does the trick.
Prove it!
Okay, here you go – some nice shiny proof (just ignore the rest of the filthy wagon as it really needs a clean and I’ve been busy) that Brasso metal polish makes a pretty good substitute when you don’t have anything else around (my usual cleaner of choice is Turtle Wax Headlight Cleaner and Sealant). (Not in the video – me humming ‘I can see clearly now..’)
I’ve also heard that toothpaste works well?
Kinda. While it is abrasive, people using it has reported that it doesn’t take long before the cloudiness comes back. Or maybe it’s plaque because the headlight now thinks it’s a tooth? Dunno.