A good friend of mine sent me a Forwarded E-mail purporting that WD40 would do a number of things including taking stains off of stainless steel sinks, removing lipstick stains, cleaning leather dashboards, etc. These uses proved to be false.
I have this rather unsightly safety bar in our bathtub wall that's been annoying me for a while. It was supposed to be stainless steel. We bought the safety bar at Home Depot and it doesn't even get much water splashed on it.
I sprayed WD40 on it and even scrubbed it for quite a while. It didn't do much of anything.
This shower dial in our guest bathroom has also annoyed me forever with its water stains. So I decided to spray it too.
You know... It did work for a while. The water stains disappeared, but I think it's only because of the petroleum in WD40.
Still, a light coating of oil does make it better to look at.
The Forwarded E-mail said the big surprise is that WD40's main ingredient is fish oil.
I decided I'd better check with SNOPES.
Fish oil is not the main ingredient. However, though it doesn't do some of the things it is purported to do by that e-mail, it does do a number of other things according to the WD40 manufacturer.
It protects silver from tarnishing.
Removes road tar and grime from cars.
Loosens stubborn zippers.
Untangles jewelry chains.
Keeps scissors working smoothly.
Keeps terra cotta/ceramic garden pots from oxidizing.
Spraying umbrella stems makes it open and close easier.
Keeps pigeons off the balcony because they hate the smell. (I wish I could spray it on my roof.)
Removes all traces of duct tape.
Removes bugs from car grills and bumpers.
Keeps saws and tools rust free.
Removes black scuff marks from kitchen floors.
Lubricates electric fans.
ETC.
So now that I've got the can out, I'm looking at the door hinges. I've also sprayed my silver jewelry. Now the pigeons won't land on me. Then again, will I be able to stand the smell too?
I have this rather unsightly safety bar in our bathtub wall that's been annoying me for a while. It was supposed to be stainless steel. We bought the safety bar at Home Depot and it doesn't even get much water splashed on it.
I sprayed WD40 on it and even scrubbed it for quite a while. It didn't do much of anything.
This shower dial in our guest bathroom has also annoyed me forever with its water stains. So I decided to spray it too.
You know... It did work for a while. The water stains disappeared, but I think it's only because of the petroleum in WD40.
Still, a light coating of oil does make it better to look at.
The Forwarded E-mail said the big surprise is that WD40's main ingredient is fish oil.
I decided I'd better check with SNOPES.
Fish oil is not the main ingredient. However, though it doesn't do some of the things it is purported to do by that e-mail, it does do a number of other things according to the WD40 manufacturer.
It protects silver from tarnishing.
Removes road tar and grime from cars.
Loosens stubborn zippers.
Untangles jewelry chains.
Keeps scissors working smoothly.
Keeps terra cotta/ceramic garden pots from oxidizing.
Spraying umbrella stems makes it open and close easier.
Keeps pigeons off the balcony because they hate the smell. (I wish I could spray it on my roof.)
Removes all traces of duct tape.
Removes bugs from car grills and bumpers.
Keeps saws and tools rust free.
Removes black scuff marks from kitchen floors.
Lubricates electric fans.
ETC.
So now that I've got the can out, I'm looking at the door hinges. I've also sprayed my silver jewelry. Now the pigeons won't land on me. Then again, will I be able to stand the smell too?
I wonder if you sprayed a large piece of stainless steel wool with the WD40, and then put the wool in the gutter downspout entrance, if that would keep the birds off the roof? DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at all of the things it does. We have a can under the sink and I use it occasionally for lubrication, mostly, of doors and things that go squeak, squeak. I'll try some of these new ways to use it! :-)
ReplyDeleteStill WD=40 is a major staple in our home kept right beside the duct tape.
ReplyDeleteGood to know about the silver. Let us know if it works; I have jewelry I never wear because it's tarnished every time I get it out.
ReplyDeleteI love it for what it does for a squeaky door. I'll have to try some of those other uses. I'm glad you are safe from the pigeons now. :)
ReplyDeletewow, you could be in a commercial for it...lol!
ReplyDeleteStainless steel is a misnomer - it will corrode - and it is not always non-magnetic! And, "it" is not really "it". There are five "recognized" types of stainless and many formulations within each type.
ReplyDeleteIn the past 20 years, I've noticed a definite decline in the "quality" of stainless plumbing fixtures. IMHO, most of the stuff that corrodes much sooner than we are accustomed to is coming from foreign countries - countries that do not have well-controlled processing in their industrial plants.
Cop Car
Nice to know it is good for other things besides quieting squeaks which is my main use.
ReplyDeleteyes the smell and mess puts me off!
ReplyDeleteI'll try it on some "early" sterling silver jewelry. I didn't want to spend on silver jewelry cleaning goop. But tarnished jewelry is soooo not right. Today, sterling silver is plated with a rhodium finish which prevents the unsightly tarnish but in a way I still like my jewelry to look tarnishable, but shine like polished silver.
ReplyDeleteL...w
My dear departed father faithfully sprayed his aching knees with WD40. He was convinced it helped.
ReplyDeleteI love WD40 and keep it in my garden shed. Very useful for lubricating tools. Dianne
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if people in Hawaii have more problems with stainless steel and other metals because of the salt in the air. I remember (just vaguely, because I was 16) moving from the dry BC interior to the coast, and discovering things tarnished faster.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried a product called CLR? The only thing I remember from its commercial is "removes lime and rust stains" but I could be misremembering that.
K
CLR? No, I've never heard of that.
Deletedidn't know it had so many uses
ReplyDeleteMy metal mailbox got all squeaky, resistant and hard to open. WD 40 to the rescue. It worked. Now I'm going out to see if I can get the last remains of a bumper sticker off my car.
ReplyDeleteA must-have, Kay!
ReplyDeleteAloha
I have a can in our cupboard but did not know of all its uses. Thanks Kay!
ReplyDeleteThe key mechanism of the back doors of my van froze. I could not open the back door to unload. Someone lent me a can of WD40 to spray and I did not spare the trigger. Eventually I got the door to unlock. I carried a can of WD40 for the rest of my career, but never needed it again.
ReplyDeleteWow, it has almost as many uses as baking soda!
ReplyDeleteYou have me laughing with your conclusion. Nasty pigeons.
ReplyDelete