Can You Use Baking Soda to Clean Headlights? (Explained)

Unclean and foggy headlights are pretty unsafe. Because the unclean and foggy headlights can’t emit light brightly.

So you can face difficulties seeing when necessary at night or in the dark. When it comes to clean headlights, you might have tried different things. But chemicals are pretty harsh for the headlight materials.

That’s why you might be confused about whether you can use baking soda to clean headlights or not.

Well, you have to know the safety of using baking soda on the headlights. Moreover, knowing about the advantages and disadvantages of using baking soda to clean headlights is also essential.

Using baking soda to clean headlights

You can use baking soda to clean headlights. Baking soda is pretty common for cleaning headlights. Generally, baking soda is safe to use on headlights. Moreover, you can use lemon with baking soda if the headlights are too dirty or foggy. The application process is also easy.

However, baking soda is a popular cleaning element. You might think that it can be harsh on the headlight material. But baking soda is not unsafe to use on headlights.

Generally, headlight covers are made of plastic materials. These plastic materials are pretty strong. So, these plastics don’t get damaged easily. Using baking soda is helpful because baking soda contains grit that is effective in cleaning dirt and fog from the headlights.

But the amount of grit is not too much that can scratch the headlight covers. So, you can use baking soda without any hesitation. Sometimes, only baking soda is not enough. So, you can mix lemon with baking soda to make the solution stronger.

You might see some bubbles when you mix lemon with baking soda. But this is completely normal. You can use the solution on the headlights too.

When you use your vehicles regularly, the headlights will get dirt, dust, grease, fog, and other materials on them.

These will make the headlight lenses cloudy and unclean gradually. On the other hand, if you don’t use the vehicle for a long time, the headlight lenses might also grow molds and mildew.

So, whether you use the vehicle regularly or not, you must keep the headlights clean always. Headlights are one of the essential parts of your vehicle. Especially when you drive at night or in the dark, headlights are a must.

But if the headlights are not clean, you can’t see through the light because a dirty headlight lens will not emit light properly. While cleaning headlight lenses, baking soda can be an excellent solution.

However, most vehicles’ headlights are made of clear coating, UV coating, or plastic lenses. These materials are safe for baking soda. If you use baking soda to use these headlight lenses, it will not damage the headlight lenses.

But some vehicles’ headlight lenses are made of a protective layer on top of these materials or on top of the glass.

You should not use baking soda for these protective layers. Because baking soda can scratch these protective layers. Otherwise, you can use baking soda on glass or plastic materials.

Sometimes, you can remove the protective layer to clean the headlight lenses properly. But many modern vehicles’ don’t allow the removal of the protective layer. So, you must know about the properties of the headlight lenses before using anything for cleaning.

The mineral structure of the baking soda has gentle abrasive property. This property cleans a surface very well.

So, when you apply baking soda to the headlights, it will use the abrasive property and remove dirt, dust, and other residues. The headlight lenses will be clean like new ones. So, you can use baking soda to clean headlights.

Can you use baking soda and vinegar to clean headlights? What ratio to use?

Yes, you can use baking soda and vinegar to clean headlights. These two elements are completely safe to use on headlight lenses.

Generally, headlight lenses are made of plastic materials that are hard enough. So, the baking soda and vinegar mixture will not damage the surface.

Baking soda and vinegar both elements have cleaning properties. So, they will effectively remove dirt, grease, fog, and other residues. But you might think of diluting the solution. You can either mix water with it or mix baking soda and vinegar to make a perfect cleaner.

If you add these two elements in a suitable ratio, they will be safe to use on the headlights. For example, you can add baking soda and vinegar in a ratio of 2:1. This ratio will keep the surface clean and safe.

You can use the ration and take a sufficient amount of baking soda and vinegar to make a cleaning element.

You can regularly use this element to clean your vehicle’s headlight. But if the headlights have an excess protective layer, you should not use baking soda and vinegar on them.

How often can you use baking soda to clean headlights?

How often you can use baking soda to clean headlights depends on how often you use the vehicle. If you use the vehicle regularly, the headlight lenses will become dirty and foggy often. So, you have to clean them regularly.

But if you don’t use the vehicle every day, it depends on how dirty the headlights are. If you use the vehicle continuously, you can use baking soda to clean headlights once a month. Sometimes, cleaning with a damp cloth is enough to clean the headlights. But if you use baking soda to clean the headlights once a month, the headlights will remain like new.

If you don’t use the vehicle often, you can use baking soda to clean headlights after every two months. This will keep the headlights clean. But if you see that the headlights are clean enough, don’t overuse baking soda. Overusing baking soda might scratch the headlight lenses.

How to use baking soda to clean headlights?

Now that you know you can use baking soda to clean headlights, you might want to know the process. So, let’s see how you can use baking soda to clean headlights.

Masking around the headlights:

First, you have to cover the area around the headlights. Because other parts of the car are not the same material as the headlights. You can use masking tape to cover up the other parts of the headlights.

Removing dirt and dust:

You can use a cloth or brush to remove dirt and dust from the upper surface of the headlights. This will remove the excess dirt and dust and make the cleaning process easy.

Making baking soda solution:

Now you can mix baking soda with water in a bowl. You can mix the baking soda and water in a ratio of 2:1. Otherwise, you can also add lemon juice with the baking soda, which will make the solution stronger. Moreover, you can use vinegar instead of water with baking soda.

Applying baking soda:

Then you can pour the baking soda solution into a spraying bottle and spray the solution on the headlights. You can use a damp cloth or a brush to gently rub the surface with the solution. This will remove dirt, grease, fog, and other residues from the surface.

Rinsing:

Finally, you can rinse the surface with clean water. Then remove the masking tape and dry the surface well before using. The headlight surfaces will be clean like new ones.

What other things can you use to clean headlights?

You can also use other things instead of baking soda to clean headlights. So, let’s see what things you can use to clean headlights.

Lemon and baking soda:

You can also use lemon and baking soda together. This mixture is also very effective in cleaning the headlight surface.

Baking soda and vinegar:

The baking soda and vinegar mixture is a very strong cleaning element. This cleaning element will clean the headlights properly if you mix them in a proper ratio. For example, you can mix baking soda and vinegar in a ratio of 2:1.

Baking soda and toothpaste:

You can also use baking soda and toothpaste to clean the headlight lenses. Baking soda has the abrasive property of cleaning the surface. Moreover, toothpaste has a cleaning property. Mixing these two elements will clean the headlights properly.

Final Thoughts

You can use baking soda to clean headlights. Headlights can become dirty and foggy often. So, you can use baking soda with vinegar or lemon juice on the headlight lenses. This solution will clean the surface properly. Moreover, making the solution and applying is pretty easy.