I totally get your hesitation... I felt the same way before trying it on my old Civic. But honestly, if you use regular white toothpaste (not gel or whitening stuff) and gently rub it in circles with a soft cloth, it actually clears things up nicely without scratching. Just be gentle and patient.
"Just be gentle and patient."
Interesting tip—I hadn't considered toothpaste for car headlights before. Given that toothpaste is mildly abrasive, I'm curious if anyone has tried this method on other surfaces prone to scratches, like smartphone screens or watch faces? I'd imagine the results might vary depending on the material... Has anyone experimented with this, or would it be too risky?
I've used toothpaste on my glasses before, thinking it'd help buff out tiny scratches. Honestly, it made me pretty anxious—didn't wanna ruin my lenses—but curiosity got the better of me. It did smooth out some minor scratches, but left a weird cloudy patch that wouldn't go away no matter how much I rinsed. Ended up needing new lenses anyway, so not sure I'd risk it again.
Makes me wonder though... would toothpaste work better on plastic surfaces compared to glass? Maybe the material makes a big difference in how effective (or damaging) it could be. Has anyone noticed different outcomes on plastic vs glass surfaces?
I've tried toothpaste on both plastic and glass, and honestly, plastic tends to respond way better. Glass lenses usually have coatings that toothpaste can mess up, causing that cloudy patch you mentioned. Plastic surfaces—like phone screens or watch faces—are softer and easier to buff lightly without damage. Still, gotta be careful though... toothpaste is mildly abrasive, so too much pressure or repeated use can still dull the surface. I'd stick to actual polishing compounds for anything valuable or delicate.
