Are Your Car Headlights Looking a Bit Foggy? Here's How To Clean Headlights Step-by-Step

We have all the details, including cleaning tips from Barbara "Babs" Costello!

When it comes to cleaning your vehicle, you likely think about picking up the crumbs, trash and junk that accumulate on the inside, along with washing the outside either in your own driveway or at a car wash. However, there's an important area that is often overlooked: the car's headlights. Luckily, we have a step-by-step guide on how to clean headlights to help you out.

What's more, we were able to pick the brain of one of our favorite Instagram influencers—Barbara "Babs" Costello—to help us out with this guide. In collaboration with Kelley Blue Book, Babs first gave Parade plenty of excellent car cleaning tips (we're obsessed with the car cleaning "slime" she recommends making to get all those hard-to-reach spots), and now she's lending us her wisdom when it comes to polishing up those easy-to-overlook headlights.

It is super easy to get your headlights back in tip-top shape, and we have the steps laid out for you. So keep reading!

Here at Parade.com, we're all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however, all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned. 

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What are foggy headlights?

Headlights are made mostly of polycarbonate (like some spectacle) lenses. These are far more durable and scratch-resistant, but UV exposure breaks down the outer layer of the lens, causing degradation in the form of oxidation.

Over time, headlights lose their protective coating and actually begin to emit a dingy yellow-tinted light. This makes it difficult to see, especially at night. Because this happens slowly, you may not even realize the change in how well you can see, until it is too late.

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How to clean cloudy headlights

Since my husband's "Ole Farm Girl" has had some cloudy headlights, it was the perfect time to test out Babs' advice (which involves toothpaste!) and get them nice and clean.

What you will need:

• Toothpaste

• All-Purpose Cleaner, Vinegar or even Baby Wipes (As Babs says, “Use what you have.")
  

• Cloth or Rag

• Paper Towel

1. Use an all-purpose cleaner

Clean the grime (and bug guts!) off using an all-purpose cleaner or vinegar, and paper towel to wipe. In a pinch, baby wipes will do the trick. Let the liquid soak for a minute before wiping it off.

2. Toothpaste time

Now that the lenses are free of grime, take a dollop of toothpaste on your cloth and rub the headlight in a circular motion. Let it set for about five minutes.

This will remove any small amounts of oxidation and make it clearer.

3. Use a paper towel or a rag

Dry off the headlights to remove any excess residue.

Nice and shiny! As Babs stresses, it's so important to have “clear bright lights [and] see where you're going...to protect other drivers.”

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Other ways to clean headlights

Vehicle manufacturers do put a UV clear coat onto their vehicles’ headlights, but even that wears off eventually. To revamp the coating, there are several other ways it can be accomplished which are inexpensive and easy to do.

Before you start any of the below suggestions, we recommend scrubbing your headlights clean of any critter crud first.

Coca-Cola

Yep, believe it or not, a favorite cola brand is great for cleaning headlights. All you have to do is soak a sponge or rag with Coca-Cola and apply it to your car headlights. Leave it on for five minutes (maybe even enjoy the last few swings while you wait). Then, wipe off with a towel before rinsing with hot water.

Dish soap

Pour some hot water over the headlight, and then coat the lens with some dish soap. Let the soap set for five minutes. Rub the dish soap in a circular motion with a rag, before rinsing it off with hot water.

Baking soda & vinegar

Mix two-parts vinegar, to one-part baking soda in a small container—very slowly. When mixed, the two will fizz due to a chemical reaction, but this is normal.

Once the mixture is done expanding, take a scouring pad and lightly rub the mixture all over the headlight. Wash off your headlights with warm water and wipe clean with a towel.

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Extra tip

For a bonus shine to add to any of these options, just spray some WD-40 on the headlights and buff it out. This will extend out the life of your shine.

Keep in mind that once your headlights are in need of restoration, the above tricks will need to be kept up regularly.

Also, there are products out there you can buy that will fix the issue for longer periods of time!

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Products you can buy to restore headlights

Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit, $22 on Amazon

Headlight Restoration Kit, $33 at OPT7

Chemical Guys Headlight Restore and Protect, $19.74 on Amazon

RainX Headlight Restorer, $9.95 on Amazon

Turtle Wax Lens Restorer, $16 on Amazon

Next up, Put Those New Vehicle Plans Into Overdrive and Think Ahead—Here's the Best Time To Buy a Car