How To Maintain Your Car Without Spending A Dime

By | June 18, 2020

Did you know everyday objects such as toothpaste, vinegar, shaving foam, etc. can be used for car maintenance? No? Well, these things work magic when tackling minor issues with your car, such as small dents, scratches, or removing droppings. Read on.

how-to-maintain-your-car-without-spending-a-dime

You may wonder if it’s possible to take care of your car’s minor issues with everyday objects you find in your house. We are talking about common things like toothpaste, vinegar, shaving foam, etc. We’re here to tell you that these things do indeed work magic when tackling minor issues with your car, such as small dents, scratches, or removing droppings. Cool, huh?

In the article below we have listed down some simple car care hacks. Store it safely in a corner of your brain since you’ll never know when they’ll come in handy. So, here goes:

Toothpaste

This wonderful product isn’t just made for whitening your teeth, removing plaque or giving you the confidence of getting ‘close-up’ with someone. It does an equally good job if you want to clear up those ugly pimples on your face (Colgate works best!), remove lipstick stains from fabrics (all ye naughty ones, try this if you don’t want to get caught!), and, well, to revive your car’s headlights. This wonder product has many other uses, but since we’re dealing with car maintenance, let’s just stick to it.

Cloudy headlights can be easily revived using toothpaste. Mind you, you’re going to end up with shiny, bright headlights. Apply a generous amount of toothpaste to your car’s foggy headlights and use a brush or cloth to clean them. Once you’re done with the cleaning, rinse with water and let it dry. Lo and behold! Sparkling clean headlights! A simple solution, isn’t it?

Also, toothpaste is a good solution for scuffs. Rub on the affected area and clean it off with a cloth. Though we can’t guarantee the complete removal of scuff marks, this will greatly reduce it.

Vinegar

Did those stupid pigeons enjoy a poop fest on your car again? Did your friends have a pizza party in your car? Don’t you worry! Good ol’ vinegar is the solution for such petty worries. If you’ve been only eating with vinegar, sadly you haven’t really been taking advantage of its potential. Vinegar finds a variety of uses within your home and car, apart from marinating and cooking. Let’s explore some of its uses on your car, shall we?

  • If you want to get rid of bad odour (like the one from having a pizza or burger party in your car), then leave a bowl of vinegar in your car overnight. Tata bad odour!
  • Want to get rid of bumper stickers? Rub some vinegar to take them off easily.
  • Frosty windows are a common phenomenon, especially during winter. Coating your car’s windows with vinegar helps to keep the frost away.
  • Don’t let bird poop ruin your day. Use vinegar to clean bird droppings in a jiffy.

Nail Polish

Instead of cursing and screaming at the person who scratched your little baby (we’re referring to your car, by the way), how about focusing on how you can hide all those ugly scratches. We’ve got a simple, yet effective solution for those little, ugly scrapes and scratches on your car. Yes, nail polish it is!

Find a nail polish which is a similar shade to that of your car, apply it neatly on the affected areas and watch them disappear. It’s cheap, takes minimal effort and doesn’t compromise on effectiveness. Definitely worth a try.

Bachelors, if you don’t have access to nail polish and you’re too shy to buy one from the shop, head to your girlfriend’s place over the weekend and slyly slip one in your pocket (don’t get caught, though!).

Additional Reading: Top 5 Cars With Great Resale Value In India

Plunger

A plunger is not just for unclogging drains and sinks, at least not anymore. It has found itself a new role in car maintenance as a small dents expert. It’s certainly an upgrade for this poo-pulling tool. However, keep in mind that the plunger is useful only for pulling out small dents on your car.

How to use it: Put the suction part of the plunger over the dent and pull. It may take a little effort but keep pulling till either the dent comes off or you fall back. If you fall back before the work gets done, repeat the pulling process until you’re successful. Sounds like a fairly easy way to get rid of ugly dents doesn’t it?

Dry Ice

Just like the plunger, dry ice is another solution to pull out dents. This cheap alternative for repairing dents is quite effective, but you need to be cautious while using it. Remember to wear gloves while handling dry ice. Heat the dented area till it is warm to the touch, then apply dry ice to the area. The sudden change in temperature will cause the dent to pop out. In case the dent doesn’t pop out, repeat the process again.

Razor Blades

These are not just for shaving your facial hair, but they are quite useful for shaving dirt off your car’s windscreen too. Sounds interesting right?

Imagine that your neighbourhood pigeon wanted to irritate you and took a dump on your windscreen. What would you do? Most people would get totally pissed and want to shoot the poor creature. And so would you, right? Stop! Don’t even think that. Rather, just pull out a razor blade (preferably a single-edged one to avoid hurting yourself) and scrape the goo off.

Whether there’s bird droppings, bugs taking a stroll, or any other muck stuck on your windscreen, a clean razor blade is the perfect tool to get rid of them effortlessly. So, don’t forget to stash a few razor blades in your glovebox.

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Newspaper

Newspapers don’t just keep you updated about current affairs, but they are good at cleaning windows too. The paper and the ink act as a light abrasive, thereby making newspapers effective window cleaners. Besides, using a newspaper to clean can reduce your laundry as well as your dependence on paper towels for cleaning.

If you want sparkling clean windows for your home and your car, all you need is a newspaper, a cup of water, some vinegar and a fair amount of liquid soap. Mix the latter three in a bottle, spray the solution on your home or car windows, and wipe with the newspaper. Lo, you’ll be blessed with clean, sparkling windows.

Chewing Gum

Got a leaky fuel tank, but no mechanic in sight for the next 5 miles? Chewing gum is a temporary fix. No, we’re not asking you to chew gum and while away your time until a mechanic arrives. We’re telling you that you can use chewing gum to temporarily fix the leak and stop wasting precious fuel.

How to use it: Chew on gum till it becomes sticky. At the same time, wipe the leaking area with a piece of cloth until it’s dry, or as dry as it can possibly get. Apply the gum to the spot to plug the leak. Easy peasy! But remember that this is only a temporary fix. Don’t forget to get the leak fixed by your mechanic.

Tinted Plastic Sheets

Especially the dark tinted ones! These are useful for shielding your eyes from the sun’s piercing glare. Sometimes, your car’s visor won’t be able to block out the sun’s rays completely making make it difficult for you to see the road ahead. During times like these, you can use these dark tinted plastic sheets (movable ones) on your windscreen or side window to give your eyes relief from the sunlight.

P.S. These sheets will stick to the windscreen via surface static.

Shaving Foam

You wouldn’t want to drive around with foggy windshields, would you? Don’t compromise on your safety then. Put your shaving foam to some use, other than the daily or weekly face application. Yes, shaving foam can help you get rid of fogged-up mirrors and windshields.

What to do? Spray some foam on the foggy areas and wipe clean with a soft cloth. Bye-bye foggy areas! Keep a can of shaving foam in your car’s glovebox, especially during monsoon and winter.

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Hand Sanitiser

Frozen car locks are common, especially during the winter months. If you don’t want to let it leave you stranded in the cold, then an alcohol-based hand sanitiser is your weapon.

You can use it in two ways – either pour some sanitiser into the lock, or apply some on you key, insert it into the lock and gently wiggle it to spread the sanitiser inside. What’s the secret? The alcohol content in the sanitiser helps to melt the ice. Never thought that a small bottle of hand sanitiser could be so useful did you?

Baking Soda

Apart from being a raising agent, baking soda is extremely beneficial for your skin and hair too. But did you know that it can be used for car maintenance as well?

  • Dirty seat belts? Apply a paste of baking soda and water to clean them. Baking soda is not very abrasive, so it won’t harm the seat belt’s fabric. Apply the paste, scrub lightly, rinse and dry.
  • Bad odour? Sprinkle some baking powder on the floor mats and vacuum. It’s a natural deodoriser.

What do you think of these simple car maintenance hacks? Do you know any other such hacks? Let us know in the comments section below! Also, do take a look at amazing offers on Credit Cards and loans on BankBazaar – just click the link below to start exploring.

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