Simple Car Repair & Maintenance Using Household Items
You open the hood of your car only to see that what once looked like a car battery is now covered with black and green corrosion. Your first thought may be that you will need a new battery. Well, don’t jump to conclusions. Go to the refrigerator. Find an ordinary can of soda-preferably of the dark variety. Pour it over the battery and voila´….corrosion gone. Now pour some water over that to clean it up and get rid of the stickiness.
When it comes to minor car repair and maintenance, some people don’t realize that the answer to their problem(s) might be very close at hand. Many household items can be used to fix minor maintenance or car repair issues.
A few items that are handy to have on hand are….
1. Soda (as stated earlier-dark). You may want to think twice about drinking it, but it does eat corrosion. It will also remove the haze that collects on windows.
2. Water-as simple as that may seem-water has many uses-like cleaning a battery or replenishing your windshield wiper fluid (if you are in at least 40° weather) until you can get to the store. And you could go ahead and wash the car-since you already have the hose on.
3. A Penny-Yes, Mr. Lincoln will also take care of battery corrosion. If you will place a new penny on your battery, the next time that you open your hood you will see that the penny has attracted all of the corrosion. Take a towel and remove it so as not to get that corrosion all over yourself. Then replace it with a new penny. You may want to clean up the old penny before trying to spend it.
4. Cooking Spray-any oil-based cooking spray can grease almost anything. Having trouble getting your key to turn? Head for the cooking spray. Just spray a little right into the key hole and it should loosen up the mechanism for easier turning. It will also remove residue and old adhesive from glass and help loosen tight bolts.
5. Clear Nail Polish-Yes gentlemen, it’s not just for ladies fingertips anymore. You would be surprised at what nail polish is capable of doing. Besides stopping a rip in panty hose, it can be used to seal small rust spots. Just a small dab (you might want to use two coats) will stop rust from spreading. But don’t use nail polish remover to get it off-it will wear off through time, so be sure to either reapply or repair the small damage.
6. Baby Wipes-They are stronger than the name implies. They may be used to clean up almost anything-your hands (after dealing with the aforementioned minor car repairs), spills, and even oil, dirt and grease that you accidentally got on the hood while closing it.
It needs to be understood that these common household products are only for minor car repairs or maintenance. You might have larger issues that need to be taken care of, but these will buy you some time until you can solve the larger problem.
