Category Curious Tricks for cars

•  Rid chrome of wax

It’s easy to get so excited about waxing your car that you go too far: wax can spoil a shiny chrome bumper with smudges that harden and won’t come off. Use a bit of WD-40 to fix the problem. Spray a little of the lubricant over the dried wax, then wipe it off with a clean soft cloth. The wax will dissolve like magic.

•  De-wax metal trim with ammonia

Car wax mistakenly applied to metal trim can spoil the effect that a keen car cleaner strives for. To rid the trim of wax, wipe it with a rag dampened with household ammonia. The trim will soon sparkle like new.

•  Oil the trim

When the metal trim on your car is still not shiny enough, squirt a little baby oil onto a paper towel and polish the metal for a shine worthy of a sterling silver trophy.

•  Get wax off rubber with peanut butter

If you are waxing your car and accidentally get white wax on black rubber trim or mouldings, wipe the area with a bit of peanut butter. The rubber will revert to its original blackness.

•  Make chrome glisten

Brighten chrome trim on your car by wiping it with a small amount of nail varnish remover. (Just be sure to keep it away from the paint.)

•  Bicarbonate-of-soda car cleaner

Prepare in advance for your next few car washes by making your own condensed cleaner base. Pour ¼ cup (45g) bicarbonate of soda into a 4-litre bottle, then add ¼ cup (60ml) washing-up liquid and enough water to fill the bottle almost to the top. Screw on the cap, shake well and store the concentrate for later use. When it is time to wash the car, shake the bottle vigorously and then pour 1 cup (250ml) of the cleaner base into an 8-litre bucket. Fill the bucket with warm water, stir to mix and your homemade cleaning solution is ready to use.

•  A no-wax wash for the chassis

Get rid of tar and road debris that sticks to the underside of a car by washing with a kerosene solution. Add 1 cup (250ml) kerosene to a 12-litre bucket filled with water and then sponge the solution onto the chassis. You won’t have to rinse or wax it once you’re done. And the next time it rains, you’ll find that water beads up and rolls off, decreasing the likelihood of rusting, which can be a problem on the chassis because it’s not easily visible. Caution: kerosene is a highly flammable liquid, so make sure that you use it away from a direct source of heat, and don’t smoke while washing your car.

•  Hair conditioner for shine

Next time you wash your car, think about using a cheap hair conditioner containing lanolin. You’ll be amazed by the freshly waxed look and how well the surface repels rain. And it costs a lot less than commercial car cleaners.

•  You can see clearly now

Add ¼ cup (60ml) household ammonia to 1 litre water, pour it into a plastic bottle with a watertight cap and keep it in your car for washing the windscreen and windows. As soon as your windscreen starts to look dirty, take out the solution and apply it with a sponge; then dry the windscreen with a soft cloth or paper towels.

•  A one-step window cleaner

Clean your windscreen and car windows by rubbing them with baby wipes stored in your glove compartment. What could be easier?

•  Clean your blades

 If your windscreen wiper blades get dirty, they’ll streak the glass instead of keeping it clean and clear, which can be dangerous if your visibility is compromised while driving. Make a solution of ¼ cup (60ml) household ammonia to 1 litre cold water. Gently lift the blades and wipe both sides with a soft cloth or paper towel soaked in the solution. Then wipe the blades with a dry cloth before lowering them into place.

•  Fizz windscreens clean with cola

When there’s a storm after a long dry spell, car windscreens often end up being completely filthy, attracting dirt and leaf debris. An easy way to get rid of the streaks and blotches left behind after a storm is by pouring cola over the glass. (Stretch a towel along the bottom of the windscreen to protect the paint on the bonnet.) The bubbles in cola will fizz away the grime. Just make sure that you rinse the sticky cola off thoroughly or your cleaning efforts will end up attracting more dust and dirt. A quick hose down should finish the job properly.

•  Shine your headlights

Keep your car headlights polished (and yourself safe at night) by spraying on some window cleaner, then rubbing vigorously with an old pair of pantihose.

•  Vodka on the job

When the windscreen-washer reservoir needs filling, raid the drinks cabinet to make your own washing fluid. In a screw-top 4-litre bottle, mix 3 cups (750ml) vodka with 1 litre water and 2 teaspoons washing-up liquid. Screw on the cap and shake well, then pour as much fluid as needed into the reservoir.

•  Counterattack on insect splats

If you’re constantly at battle with insects getting splattered on the front of your car, try a preventative strategy instead and spray the front of your car with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil, or wipe it down with baby oil. Most insects won’t stick around and the ones that do can be hosed or wiped off more easily.

•  Mesh away insect mess

Get rid of the dead insects on your car by squirting a little washing-up liquid over the spot and scrubbing with a mesh bag — the kind that onions are sold in. The mesh is sufficiently rough that it will remove insects, but not so rough that it will scratch the finish or windscreen. Once you have scrubbed away the bugs, wipe the surface with a clean cloth.

•  An easy debugger

To get rid of dead insects on your windscreen or bumper, use an old, balled-up pair of pantihose dipped in washing suds. Remove the insects by rubbing gently, then wash off the mess with a cloth soaked in soapy water.

•  Keep a radio antenna clean

 If grime is clogging your radio antenna and it becomes stuck in an up or down position, try to extend the antenna to its full height and rub along its length with waxed paper. It will be so smooth that it should glide up and down as cleanly as the arm on a trombone.

•  Rub Christmas tree sap off the car roof

If you’ve had a fresh Christmas tree strapped to the roof of your car, you’ll probably end up with sap stuck to the surface — and soap and water won’t do the job. Pour a few drops of surgical spirit over the sap and rub it with your fingertips. Then wipe it off with an alcohol-dampened rag and let the area air-dry.

•  Freeze the sticky stuff

Another way of getting rid of sap is to press an ice cube over it for a minute or so. When the sap hardens, simply peel it off your car, bicycle or other surface.

•  Oil away a sticker

To remove a sticker from your windscreen, spray it with vegetable oil or WD-40 and let he spray soak in for a while. Then scrape the sticker off using the edge of a credit card. If bits of it stick fast, heat the area gently with a blast from a hair dryer and then try again.

•  Removing tar

Tar can be difficult to remove from your car, but you’ll win the battle over black goo fast when you try one of these removal methods, rinsing and drying after each one.

1.  Try spraying the tar with a laundry prewash stain remover. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then wipe it off thoroughly.
2.  Wet a cloth with linseed oil and apply it to the spots of tar. Let the oil soak in for about 10 minutes. Once the tar softens, douse another cloth with linseed oil and wipe the tar away.
3.  Rub the tar with a bit of peanut butter, leave it on for 10 minutes and then wipe it away with a soft cloth.
4.  Spray the spots with a squirt of WD-40 and let it soak in for 5 minutes. Then wipe the tar away with a soft cloth.
5.  Pour a cup of cola on a clean cloth and rub the tar off the car surface.
6.  Mix 1 cup (250ml) kerosene with 5 litres water and scrub the tar away with a rag soaked in the potent solution.