The Clever Way to Put Car Wax to Work—in Your Kitchen!
If you're only using car wax to add lustre to your vehicle's finish, you're tapping just a fraction of its potential.
Make Your Appliances Smudge-Free
If you own stainless steel kitchen appliances, you may want to consider using car wax to clean them rather than a surface cleaner. Simply apply a light coat of car wax to the appliance, allow time to dry and buff clean to resist fingerprints and smudges. No more kiddy fingerprints on the fridge!
Get Fog-Free Mirrors
Prevent your bathroom mirror from fogging up after a hot shower with car wax. Apply a small amount of car wax to the mirror, let it dry, then buff with a soft, dry cloth. (Psst–if find yourself running low on car wax, this trick also works with shaving cream!)
Coat Your Snow Shovel with Car Wax
Shovelling snow can be frustrating enough, but when heavy snow sticks or freezes in clumps on the shovel, it can make the job even more difficult. You can avoid this issue by first coating your shovel with car wax before heading out to clear your driveway and walking paths.
This tip works best with metal shovels: Follow the application instructions on the car wax package. Generally, car wax is applied in a thin layer using a damp cloth, allowed to dry, and then buffed off with a dry cloth. This leaves the shovel clean and lubricated, so the snow and ice won’t stick.
Discover the most efficient way to remove snow from your car this winter.
A Scrub and a Wax
Field Editor Joe Stiles writes: “Every three months, I use CLR Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover and an old toothbrush to clean all the faucets and lavatories. Then I apply an automotive car wax like Turtle Wax and buff after the wax hazes. Our fixtures look like new.”
Here are 10 more bathroom cleaning tricks worth trying.
Lubricate Your Glue Caps and Lids
Caps on certain adhesives/glues, like rubber cement and super glue, have a habit of getting stuck or glued on no matter how hard you try and keep them clean. This can be prevented by simply smearing a little coating of petroleum jelly or car wax onto the threads of the tube or lid. You just need a small dab of the petroleum jelly or wax to prevent even more of a mess. Be sure to smear a little bit on before putting the cap back on the glue and it should prevent the cap from cementing on over time. So the next time you go to use your super glue, you’ll be able to open it with ease and get right to work! You can also get the same effect by spraying a little squirt of WD-40 inside the cap.
Discover more home hacks that’ll stretch your decorating dollar.
Wax Your Table Saw Top
Use a scouring pad and a razor blade to polish and scrape away any deposits of glue, rust or any other residue. Next, apply a liberal coating of wax to all of the surfaces including the table, mitre gauge slots, fence and the fence guide strip. Polish the surface with a cotton cloth.
While you’re in your workshop, put these garage organization tips into practice.
Easy Glide Snowthrower Chute
When snow season comes around again, I like to give my snowthrower a tune-up, and that always includes spraying the inside of the chute with Rain-X or car wax. The water-repelling spray or wax keeps the chute from getting clogged with that wet, packed snow and ice. The Rain-X or Turtle Wax makes the chute slick, and snow slides out of the chute like it’s supposed to. I reapply Rain-X or car wax inside the chute every few snowfalls or so. — John Gossard
Now that you know how to put car wax to work, check out 13 cleaning hacks that take the hassle out of housekeeping.
