3 Surprising Uses for WD-40 | AD

WD-40 is one of those products that has more uses than you can possibly imagine. Many people think that this lubricant is just for cars, or squeaky door hinges, but in actual fact, has over 2000 uses, ranging from use in the garage, garden, workshop, and even around your home, which is what we'll be looking at in this blog.

I've just WD-40 to clean tools, de-rust lawnmower blades, clean paintbrushes, and even unjam a drill chuck, but what about uses around the home, other than the obvious squeaky hinges?

Here are 3 surprising ways you can put your can of WD-40 to use around the home:

Removing Glue Residue/Chewing Gum/Blu Tack/Stickers from Any Surface

Typically, to remove something sticky, people would reach for the usual household items like acetone-based products (such as nail varnish remover) to combat the residue, but not me, I have a mini can of WD-40 in my kitchen 'useful things' drawer specifically for use around the home.

This lubricant is amazing at getting sticky residue off pretty much any surface. I've used it on skirting boards after laying glue-down flooring, removing labels and stickers from newly purchased items, blu tack and chewing gum off clothing and trainers, and even the remnants of command strips that didn't quite come off in one piece.

It works amazingly on windows, particularly when you've got an old bit of sellotape on there from 2 Christmases ago, or your kids have put their sticky jam fingers in an inconspicuous place on a mirror somewhere and you don't spot it until it dried and is impossible to remove, well, until you put some WD-40 on it.

To use it in this way, simply spray on, either with their bendable straw applicator if in a hard-to-reach place, or with their full spray 360-degree nozzle and leave to soak for a few minutes before wiping away with a damp cloth or tissue. It comes off super easy, with practically no effort.

To get gum and blu tack out of fabric, like the sofa, the carpet, or kid's school uniform, again, simply spray the area with WD-40 Multi-Purpose, wait for it to soak in, and the gum or blu tack should come right off.

Clean and Shine Artificial Plant Leaves

This one astounded me, why hadn't I thought of it before! The very same lubricant you use on a rusty bike chain can be used to wipe away dust and keep your faux foliage looking 'healthy' and green - if only my real plants looked the same..

I find it so hard to keep plants alive. Perhaps it's my north-facing house, poor memory to actually water them, or my dogs trying to eat anything their short little necks can reach, but artificial plants have slowly taken over my home, with at least 3-4 in each room. What I always forget to do, much like watering a real plant, is keep the faux plants free from dust and looking more like real plants than bad, dusty imitations.

To clean and shine a large-leaved plant baby, you'll want to spray a little WD-40 on a microfibre cloth and give each leaf a wipe. Be careful not to pull the leaves off the stem (if you do, you can easily pop it back on again), and remember to do both sides. This will leave them super shiny and help to keep themselves dust-free for a little while longer.

For trailing faux plants or ones with lots of tiny leaves, you are better off giving the plant a little shake to get off the large dust particles, then, giving the plant itself a spray with the 360-degree nozzle, you'll want to grab that same microfibre cloth and give it a light wipe. You can also give it a rinse under water before spraying WD-40 over it if there are areas your duster can't get to. The spray will help to keep it shiny and looking more life-like.

Removes Ink Stains & Crayon from Walls & Fabric

(e.g. sofas, clothes, shoes, and carpet)

With all these cleaning hacks, you'll likely want to add WD-40 to your Mrs. Hinch-style cleaning caddy by the end of this post! Yep, you read that right, you can actually get ink and crayon off of surfaces and fabrics around your home using none other than WD-40!

The number of times I've dropped an uncapped pen on my fabric and leather upholstery and not known about this hack, it's not even funny. Whether it's biro or fountain pen, a few sprays, and a couple minutes later, you wouldn't have even known there had been ink on there.

For crayons, the method is the same whether it's on a recently painted wall, a window, your kitchen floor, or on one of their toys, WD-40 will melt through the waxy residue and enable you to wipe it clean off with a damp cloth after letting it soak for a couple of minutes.

Now you've learnt about these fab hacks for WD-40 around the home, will you be reaching for this magic can more often? Check out their website for more ways you can put this multi-use product to the test, as well as a range of how-tos for uses in DIY and around the home.

Don't forget to check out my other uses for WD-40 over on my Instagram:

How to Clean a Dirty/Rusty Saw Blade My Top 3 Uses for WD-40