Recently, I have had my share of household mishaps (see my articles on crayon marks and carpet cleaning). With help from some “experts” I was able to recover from these incidents and learn some new cleaning tricks in the process. What struck me was that in the course of seeking their advice I noticed an underlying theme (or rather, a product) that time and time again people would suggest I try. The highly recommended cure-all: WD-40.
When I was looking for ways to remove crayon and magic marker stains from furniture and appliances I was told to spray WD-40 on the marks and wipe with a clean rag. It worked. Last week, I was lamenting about a carpet stain to the owner of a local rug store. He suggested using WD-40. He said to spray the stain, wait a minute or two, and then simply blot the carpet with a cloth soaked in warm, soapy water. Sure, I had used WD-40 to fix rusty bike chains and squeaky doors, but to clean a carpet, I had my doubts. But, lo and behold, I tried it and was so pleased with the results I immediately called ALL the mothers in my daughter’s playgroup to share the good news with them.
In doing so, I found that some moms had already discovered their own wonderful uses for WD-40, including using it to remove gum from their children’s hair (just squirt directly on the affected area and the gum combs right out). The same process can be used to remove burrs from a horse’s mane or tail. Another mom told me she uses WD-40 on her son’s LEGOS. When the blocks lock together she squirts a little WD-40 on them and they pull apart with ease. Even my own mother had another use for WD-40. She says she uses it to remove sticky price tags from new picture frames. She no longer wastes valuable time using her fingernails, soap and water to remove the tacky residue, instead she sprays WD-40 directly on the sticker and the glass and it peels right off.
But that’s not all, apparently (and incredibly) others have found that the spray also removes tea stains from countertops, removes gunk from toilets, gets tomato stains off clothes, conditions leather furniture, and keeps flies off cows (supposedly, flies hate the smell of WD-40). In fact, the Tacoma Wheelmen have compiled a list of 2000 uses for WD-40. Check out their list to see how the product gives new meaning to the term, multi-purpose.