21 Brilliant Uses of WD-40 (2024)

This Post may contain Affiliate Links. Please read our Disclosure for legal jargon.

Everyone knows how useful WD-40 is for your vehicles and mechanic work. WD-40 is a great lubricant and you might also be using it to fix rusty metal screws or squeaky hinges. But you might not know that WD-40 uses are so versatile that it can be used to fix many issues other than just used as a lubricator.

I would say WD-40 is a miracle spray which you must have every time in your house, and it’s pretty cheap given its versatility. So, here are some easy and really helpful WD-40 uses or hacks which will make your life easier. Make sure there is plenty of air ventilation when working with WD-40 for health safety.

Here are amazing uses of WD 40 around home:

1. Weatherproof your Shoes

You don’t have to buy special winter shoes or costly weatherproofing sprays when the WD-40 can in your garage does the trick.

Coat your shoes with WD-40 and it’ll prevent water and grime from collecting. Shoes in winters tend to develop scuff marks and salt stains as well. You can remove them by spraying WD-40 on them and wiping it with a cloth.

2. Clean Your Toilet Bowl

WD-40 isn’t just for your kitchen counters or your windows, you can use it for the toilet as well! If you’re facing a particularly tough toilet bowl to clean and the regular cleaners aren’t working, try a little WD-40.

Hard water-sediment stains and rust build-up can be hard to get rid of. Spray WD-40 on the inside of the bowl. Let it sit for a minute then scrub it off. Repeat the process until you’re satisfied and then hit the flush.

3. Keep co*ckroaches and Spiders Away

Your WD-40 doubles up as an insect repellent as well, who knew! Just spray your window sills, door frames and other areas bugs might show up lightly with WD-40.

You can also use it to directly exterminate co*ckroaches or other insects you spot by spraying it at them just like you would with an insect exterminator.

4. Remove Stains from Jeans

Everyone knows jeans are one of the hardest materials to get stains out of. Unfortunately, it’s just as easy to stain your jeans as any other item of clothing!

Whether its paint, ink, oil or food stains, your jeans stand a chance of saving as long as you have a can of WD-40. Spray some WD-40 on the stains and wait for a minute before washing the jeans with water.

5. Remove Candle Wax:

Whether it’s birthdays or candlelight dinners, candles are essential. But where there are candles, there are bound to be wax marks. Hardened wax can be very hard to remove especially if it seeps into carpets.

Spray WD-40 on the wax and let it stay for a minute. Use a cloth to blot the stains and wash the carpet thoroughly after cleaning it.

6. Lubricate Squeaky Hinges

Squeaky doors are something we end up neglecting until the whiny noise gets louder and unbearable. An easy and quick fix can stop the squeaking before it gets worse and all you need for it is a can of WD-40.

Spray it directly on the hinges of your door, wait for it to dry and check if the squeaking has stopped. If some excess drips on the floor then immediately wipe it off. WD-40 is great for hinges as it stays coated for a very long time and prevents corrosion.

7. Prevent Tools from Splintering

Don’t you hate it when wooden tools get splinters? You have to be extra careful while using it so a splinter doesn’t get stuck in your hand, after which it can be very hard to remove.

Just by applying some WD-40 on the wooden handles of your garden tools you can make sure that they don’t start splintering anytime soon. As an additional advantage, it’ll also protect the quality of the wood, keep it from corrosion and make it smoother.

8. Keep Squirrels Away from Bird Feeders

Anyone who has a bird feeder installed in their garden or yard knows the nuisance that squirrels cause as unwelcome guests. They may seem like cute little furry animals but they can act like real bullies, hogging the bird feeder, eating up all the birdseed and scaring the birds away.

We know many solutions to keep squirrels away exist but most of them involve buying expensive bird feeders or building elaborate setups. You don’t have to go out of your way to keep squirrels away when just your regular can of WD-40 can do the work.

Just spray a good amount on top and around the feeder and squirrels won’t be able to climb it!

9. Removing Chewing Gum from Hair

Your kid comes home crying from school with chewing gum in his hair. It’s an age-old prank! But you don’t have to reach for the scissors or the jar of peanut butter.

Your child will hate you if he loses a significant amount of hair and what a waste of perfectly good peanut butter!

Just get your WD-40 out and spray it on the strands of hair covered in gum. Wait for a few seconds then gently use a comb to remove as much gum as you can then wash it off.

10. Get Rid of Sticky Fingers

If you forgot to wear gloves while working on some crafts project and are now looking at hands covered with dried super glue, don’t panic! We’ve made the mistake and we’re here to tell you what the best way to get rid of the glue is.

Spray a generous amount of WD-40 on your sticky fingers and rub your hands together to spread the WD-40 until the glue breaks down and your hands become less sticky.

11. Prevent puppies from chewing on important items

If you’ve got pets at your home especially little puppies or kittens then you’ve probably grown half-crazy running after them making sure they don’t chew up anything important. You love them, but a phone is not a chew toy!

To mark out the important things in your home that you want your pet to stay from just spray a little WD-40 on them. Pets hate the smell and won’t come anywhere near it!

12. Remove Scuff Marks

You dragged the sofa across the living room once preparing for a party and now your floor has black scuff marks refusing to be mopped away.

No, you don’t have to hide it with an awkward rug, it’s time to put the mop away and pick up the WD-40. Spray some of it on a clean cloth or paper towel and rub it in the marks until they start fading. Then rinse the excess away.

13. Remove Stuck Rings

Rings that have not been removed in years tend to get stuck in your finger and can prove difficult to remove. Getting the ring cut is not a very pleasing option especially if its a wedding ring!

Just spray some WD-40 on and around the ring and gently slide it off your finger, it should come off quite smoothly!

14. Remove Baked-on Food

If you haven’t cleaned your oven racks in a long time you may notice a build-up of baked-on food and grease that spills on it. This can be difficult to remove and can require quite a bit of elbow grease. WD-40 can make this easier for you.

Spray a good amount directly on the food and grease. Give it a few moments and it should start loosening up. Use a clean cloth to wipe the oven racks.

15. Clean Your Hairbrush

Ah yes, the hairbrush, something that we use daily in the morning and then toss away ignoring the hair stuck in the brush.

However, if you ignore it for too long the few strands of hair can grow into a tangled, matted bunch and your hairbrush won’t be much effect on your hair any longer. You can use WD-40 to loosen up this tangle by spraying it directly on the hair.

16. Clean Dead Insects from Your Car

Summertime means sunny skies, warm weather, and…dead insects stuck on your car windows early in the morning! Don’t worry, you don’t have to spend your summer cleaning dead insects first thing in the morning.

Apply WD-40 on the windows and the grill of your car and it’ll PR even dead bugs from getting stuck on it. You can also use WD-40 to remove the sticky insects.

17. Keep Away Slugs and Snails

Tired of slugs and snails eating up your plants from the garden that you’ve grown with hard work and elbow grease? The old trick of salting the ground around the plants actually does more harm to the plants than the pests!

You don’t have to buy any expensive slug repellents either. Just spray some WD-40 on the outside of your pots and you’ll never spot a pest near your plants again.

18. Remove Old Duct Tape

Many times we use duct tape to temporarily attach things on the wall, then we detach the things but leave the tape hanging and forget about it as it seems pretty harmless.

However, if you leave it stuck for a long time it can get difficult to pull out when you actually want to clean your wall and might also pull off some of the wall paint with it. To avoid this spray WD-40 on the tape before removing it.

19. Remove Tomato Stains

Oops, you’ve spilled some tomato ketchup on your white shirt! Tomato stains have to be one of the most stubborn stains to get rid off alongside oil stains. Before simply throwing your shirt in the washer, pretreat it with WD-40. Spray it on the stain and let it settle for a minute before washing it.

20. Tone Down Polyurethane Shine

Yes, your floor should be clean and shiny…but not so much that it blinds people! Floors that are too shiny can actually be quite distracting and unnatural to look at.

Make sure you’re in a well-ventilated place, then spray some WD-40 on a piece of cloth and wipe it across the entire floor to tone down the shine a little.

21. Kill Thistle Plants

Thistle plants are noxious and are no good for your garden. They should be immediately eliminated. Ditch the fancy herbicides, all you need is WD-40! Spray some directly on the plants and watch them wither and die.

These are just someof the incredible things you can use WD-40 for. When in doubt, reach for the WD-40. Who knows, you might even discover some new functions yourself! What do you use WD-40 for? Let us know!