Uses For WD40 With Smart Straw

Below I've gathered lots of uses for WD40, that have been sent in as tips from readers.


Interestingly, many of these uses aren't for the common types of tasks you'd think a lubricant, like WD40, would be used for, like squeaky hinges, and the like.

Instead, there are also a lot of cleaning and stain removal uses for this product.

This article, full of reader submitted tips, is a companion piece to my own article all about the uses for WD-40 around your home.



Here are the tips, starting with one from Jim.

Jim says:

I have used WD40 on glass to get rid of stubborn adhesive decals, and also on nearly anything that squeaks. Everything from my car door hinges to my computer desk chair has seen this product.

What I've always liked about it is the easy cleanup, with usually no more than just a rag, and wide variety of uses.

I love the cans with the built in pop up straw sprayer; not only does it makes getting into small spaces a breeze, clean up is nearly eliminated because of the precise control I have now. And of course I can say goodbye to all the lost straws!

WD40 is one of the few things these days I don't have to look at the price before buying. It's always affordable and lasts forever for me.

I have found the easiest way to get gooey messes up is to spray a good coating of WD-40 over the offending goo and allow it to sit for a minute and then go back in and firmly wipe away the goo using single direction strokes, using a few more squirts of WD-40 as needed to finish up. You don't want to rub/smear the goo.

With hinges and squeaks I spray and then open and close the door or mechanism completely a few times to distribute the product.

Taylor says:

Thanks Jim for sharing your uses for WD40 around your home.

This product definitely can be used to remove adhesives and gooey sticky messes, partially because one of its main ingredients is mineral spirits, which is a solvent.

It also helps lubricate since another of ingredients is mineral oil.

Has anyone else used this, or another product for removing stickers and other sticky stuff? If so, you can share your adhesive removal product review here, or read other product reviews already submitted.



Scroll on down for more tips and uses from readers!

Clean & Shine Stainless Steel Appliances

by SR101 Reader

SR101 Reader says:

We have all stainless-steel appliances. A repairman came in to fix the oven and, as he was finishing, he took out a can of WD-40 (spray lubricant) and sprayed small amounts over the stainless steel appliances.

The result was excellent, leaving all our appliances looking wonderful.

I now use WD-40 from time to time to clean fingerprints, grease marks and dirt and leave our appliances gleaming.

Taylor says:

Thanks for this tip!

You can check out even more tips for cleaning stainless steel here, or read reviews of stainless steel cleaners here.



Photo courtesy of Andy Piper

Remove Grease & Asphalt Stains From Laundry

Heather says:

Spray WD-40 on grease stains, then wash in hot water.

My husband works at an asphalt plant. This works on most of his hard stains.

Taylor says:

Thanks for the tip Heather!

You can check out lots more tips for grease stain removal here.

Removed Wite-Out Correction Fluid From Floor

by SR101 Reader
(Elk Creek VA)

SR101 Reader said:

My mother-in-law uses Wite-Out so much her bottles never have time to dry out!

Recently she dropped a bottle with the lid off in her kitchen! The color of her linoleum is off white beige and white.

The only reason I noticed was because the Wite-Out area was getting darker as I carried groceries in, tracking dirt.

I Googled the stain, and WD-40 was highly recommended.

I sprayed on the area and didn't let it soak more than a minute. I wiped it up with dry paper towel. Easiest thing ever.

I did use soap and water, with a paper towel, to wipe up the spot afterward, fearing the area would be slick if I didn't!

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing this tip, and I'm so glad this spill was easy for you to clean up with an easy to find product around the house.

You definitely did the right thing by wiping the spot up afterward with soap and water, so there would be no leftover slickness. Safety is important, especially for the floor!

Here's a round up of tips for removing paint stains and spills from various surfaces, since Wite-Out, and other similar correction fluids, are a type of paint basically.

Remove Crayon From Many Types Of Surfaces

It's amazing how many surfaces crayons can get on when your little artist goes to work.

WD40 is so awesome at getting out these marks and stains I've devoted a whole page to it on the site. You can check it out here.

Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks

Removed Tar From Carpet {But Caution About Carpet Pad}

by Clarence Swingle

Clarence said:

My wife tracked in some tar from a new coating on our asphalt coated road in front of our home and I used WD-40 which removed the tar.

The problem I have is that in several places where the tar was removed the carpet is now raised about an inch above the carpet pad. These places are each only about one inch wide by three inches long, but they look terrible for an expensive carpet.

It seems as though I now have to somehow lower the pad in those places. Perhaps a needle into the carpet to destroy the carpet pad in those places?

Help!

Taylor says:

Thanks for your submission Clarence, and your stain removal question.

I'm glad you were able to get rid of the tar, which is a very difficult stain to remove, but I'm sorry to hear about the damage to the carpet pad, that you're attributing to the WD-40.

Unfortunately, when doing any type of stain removal from carpet runs the risk of harming the pad, which is another layer underneath the actual carpeting.

That's why I always caution when removing carpet stains to get the carpet only as wet as necessary, with water or whatever stain remover or cleaner you're using, to remove the stain, and immediately blot and remove the cleaner thereafter, and try to let it dry quickly and thoroughly.

At this point, it may be best to replace at least that portion of the carpet pad, which unfortunately is a pain to do, and doesn't always produce a nice look for the carpeting, but it may be the way to salvage most of the carpet, if that's your priority.

You can get lots more carpet stain removal tips here.



Further, another suggestion for removing tar from surfaces is to try glycerin. You can check out this and other uses for glycerin here.

WD40 Used To Remove Stickers From Lots Of Surfaces

by Viv
(Idaho)

Viv says:

After struggling with getting off a tough sticker on my license plate, I looked around in my garage for anything that could help me with the task. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blue and yellow can of WD-40.

I decided to try and use it to help me remove the sticker. It definitely did the job well, making the sticker removal quite easy.

No sticky residue was left behind and I could not be happier with the result. After all the frustration of getting the sticker off, a solution as simple as using a can of WD-40 made me quite happy.

Of course, when using WD40 you have to deal with the distinct oil smell it has. But, considering how great it is at helping with lubrication and removal of objects, I can get over the smell.

I highly recommend this product for removing stickers from all types of surfaces. It not only helped me with my license plate, but I've also used it to help remove stickers from wood, metal and my floor.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much Viv for sharing your ideas.

I notice you said you used the WD40 on the floor, and I know stickers on the floor can be a bear to remove. I would just caution everyone that this product can make your floor slick, so use as little as possible to remove the sticker, and then wipe completely away so you make sure no one slips and falls there!

I'm always looking for more uses, so you can share your uses here, or read even more uses that have already been submitted.



In addition, check out even more cleaning products reviews for around your household here.




Photo by List

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Helpful Household Hints For Your Home

100's of Cleaning Tips From A to Z

Go From Uses For WD40 To Home Page

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