I had a neighbor who had bought a new pickup. I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray-painted red all around the sides of This beige truck (for some unknown reason). I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-4 and clean it off. It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I am impressed!
WD-40
Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust Preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a “water displacement” compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.
Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
When you read the “shower door” part, try it. It’s the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It is a miracle!
1. Then try it on your stovetop.. Voila! It’s now shinier than it is ever been. You will be amazed.
2. Here are some of the uses:
3. Protects silver from tarnishing.
4. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
5. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
6. Gives floors that ‘just-waxed’ sheen without making it slippery.
7. Keeps flies off cows.
8. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
9. Removes lipstick stains.
10. Loosens stubborn zippers.
11. Untangles jewelry chains.
12. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks. Cleans the fronts of Stainless steel appliances (have personally seen the employees of Lowes use it on their appliances in the store to keep them new looking)
13. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
14. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
15. Removes tomato stains from clothing
16. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
17. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
18. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
19. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
20. Gives a children’s play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22. Rids kid’s rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close. 
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve Arthritis pain.
37. Florida’s favorite use is: “cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.”
38. The favorite use in the state of New York — WD-40 protects the Statue of
Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it is a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using Some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you’ve discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
44. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn’t seem to harm the finish and you won’t have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
45. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
Quite an extensive list. If anyone tries any of the more uncommon uses on this list, I would be interested in hearing your results!
Entries (RSS)
actually, its only 44 uses, seeing as number two isnt really a use.
It also removes silly putty from fabric.
I’d use it a heck of alot more if it didn’t have that smell……
I like the smell of WD-40.
Seriously.
I’ve been using WD40 for more than 20 years – but not for any of the above uses. I carried it for general lubrication. However one day when I was about to start making a program
with a Grundig video recorder I ran into a problem. I found that a micro switch deep in the guts was not working. I was out on a cattle ranch in Texas at the time and it was impossible to get technical help. The thought of taking the video recorder apart made me shudder! and I knew I had no hope of getting a replacement micro switch as it would have to come from Germany. In desperation I tried a shot of WD40 and PRESTO I was back in business. Since then I have used WD40 on every electrical connection that has given me a problem. The washing machine, the dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, you name it the old WD40 always comes through for me.
.
Good ol’ WD-40. Works for everything!
If a man has a roll of duct tape, and a can of WD-40, does he really need anything else?
One thing I will tell you NOT to use WD-40 on is a paper shredder!
I tried it and the darn thing CAUGHT FIRE! Good thing I was there and I quickly ran to the bathroom anc got a glass of water to dose on the shredded paper in the wire basket.
A shot of WD-40 in the carbeurator also helps the lawn mower to start. Not too much though…
Thanks for the tip! I know the stuff is extremely flammable, but I wouldn’t have thought a paper shredder would have ignited it…lol
well if you add to that a tube of Liquid Nails – it will stick anything to anything – you name it and LN will hold it together.
Also you can shape it, drill it and sand it.
Can be used to inflate a tire by spraying inside the tire which has a broken bead and lighting it….see video of it online.
Yes, a hammer and two screwdrivers (flat head and Phillips). With that there’s nothing else needed.
If it moves and it shouldn’t: duct tape it
If it doesn’t move and it should: WD-40 it
If you need to put it together: use the screw drivers
If you need to break it apart: use the hammer
For everything else there’s either Mastercard or a combo of the above.
I use it to de-rust and clean chainmail. Just spray it on and wear it for a few hours, no scrubbing required!
Why not to trust this article
#28 – You actually shouldn’t use wd-40 on bike parts, it attracts dirt and grime and can actually do more harm than good. Ideally, you should use some sort of dry/Teflon-based lubricant
I would not recommend to use WD-40 on anything that is rubber,
WD-40 eats away rubber.
lawyerdude666, seldom does poetry deliver such elegantly useful tips as what you said hear. I’m doffing my cap to you, sir!
When I first started in computers, I started with a TRS-80 (Trash-80). The TRS-80 was known for their sorry bi-metal keyboards with horrendous key-bounce. Radio Shack came out with programs to try to eliminate the key-bounce. This was a genuine pain since the computer did not have a hard drive or a disk drive, everything was loaded via cassette tape. So you booted the computer via cassette, then loaded this anti-key-bounce program which didn’t half work and took up some of your precious 48 k of memory. Some wise soul discovered that you could remove the keytops and spray with WD-40 and presto, no more key-bounce and no more loading of Radio Shack lousy key-bounce software. I did it on mine and never had key-bounce again for the rest of the time I used the TRS-80
The one improvement has been done, a built in straw. I use WD 40 in my shower on all the chrome parts. I only own 1 car and live in a 1 room apartment yet I have 3 cans of WD 40
Kills Bees Fast!!
I was painting a building and came across a Wasp nest. The only thing I had was WD40. It killed them almost instantly. They died right on the nest.
Like those Pinesol ads on TV, WD-40 is the smell of “Clean” in my shop.
I also use it to mask scratches on DVD movies that I rent
It also makes a good flame thrower.
Just a remark to #6 above:
Well, the moral of your story is that WD-40 actually did improve the functionality of the paper shredder, did it not? Were the papers put in not even less readable after that? Albeit with an unfortunate side-effect, but non the less.
If you could only eat the stuff as well, I wouldn´t need anything else but WD-40!
I spray it on my lawnmower blades to loosen the dried on grass
Steve Morriss last blog post..how to use a self propelled petrol lawnmower
Really? On the stovetop? Given the flammability of WD-40, this doesn’t seem like the best idea.
i used it on my car lights and on the scrathes on my car and it worked great it did not damage my clear coat it make it shine better!!!!!!!!
not only is no. 2 not a use, plenty of them also suggest you use it for lubrication, which isn’t a particularly interesting use of a lubricant.
day-um. i gotta try some of these.
alright. ya lured me into talking w/ wd40 if i’ve got tar on my hands from work wd40 followed by soap gets it off faster than anything
Nothing cleans and protects a Spring Steel Katana better. I used it to polish steel with some 3000 grit sandpaper.
Nice Post! I think there’s really like a million uses for WD40 but this list is a great start.
Keep them coming.
I just bought a used car in arizona, tucson be exact and it came with a free can of WD40. How cool!
WD-40 is basically Omega -3 fish oil and Vaseline. So it is not physically hazardous to the human body. The next time the old knees or joints get stiff and sore, spray a little on and rub it in. It lubes the joint and the pain is gone. No kidding, it works. I got this tip from a doctor. The odor is noticeable so you wouldn’t want to use it and go out in public. The spray accellerant hexane is the problem with spray can of WD-40 for your skin. I have my WD-40 in a pint can, non spray, no hexane.
WD-40 is wonderful stuff, but do pay attention to the health warnings on the can. It’s made of petroleum components. Some people have used it as a rememdy for skin problems. Bad idea! Take care not to breath the fumes or get in your eyes or stay on your skin. And of course it is flammable. Just take sensible precautions and you use this great product without worry.
I’m with the other poster….WD40 on the cooktop might not be wise. Don’t really want flammable oil around fire.
Anyway, I’ve always used it to get those nasty paper price tags off plastic and glass items the wife buys. Just spray the sticker, let it sit a few minutes and it just wipes off with a paper towel. No glue left behind either.
Another great use for WD-40 has to do with snow shovels and snow blowers. Spray some WD-40 on the shovel blade or into the snow chute on the snow blower and the snow won’t stick to the sides, preventing it from clogging up.
I USE WD-45 just like the 40 but with out the smell.
Because of the flammability you cannot spray it on parts that Spark!. IE: the electric motors in a paper shredder. Not all electric motors make sparks but you will see in an old electric drill, many sparks fly. If you need to spray an electronic that sparks. give it some time to dry.
WD-40 is an amazing product with many uses, but most of those listed are quite a stretch and some are outright old wife’s tales and urban legends. WD-40
- Dissolves many plastics.
- Pigeons are not the only ones that hate the smell
- No one likes it’s taste
I wouldn’t trust anyone who tells me such a chemical is harmless.
Those of you lucky enough to live in Canada may want to try Jig-A-Loo (http://www.jigaloo.com/ca/e_home.php). Beats WD hands down in many applications, especially zippers, sliding doors wood and plastics, and doesn’t smell nearly as bad.
WD-40 stands out as one of the very best rust inhibitors I have ever tried and tested, even compared with the icons like Boeshield and ACF-50.