Great uses for WD-40

WD-40 is a versatile product. Many people use WD-40 inside the house, out in the yard, at work, or even for recreational purposes. It is especially good for working on cars, boats or anything that could use a good cleaning or be lubricated.

The official WD-40 site outlines the product as serving five basic functions. These are to lubricate, clean, protect, penetrate and displace moisture.  Here's a brief description of these five functions:

Lubricate

The product is useful for movable parts that may get stuck. WD-40 can be used as a lubricant for locks, hinges and anything that needs to be 'unstuck'. It helps loosen joints and can effectively move stubborn sticking or rusted joints. It can also loosen up problematic keyholes or knobs.

Clean

WD-40 is said to remove sticky items such as sap, tar and gum as well as dissolves certain kinds of adhesives, rubber cement, labels, tape and other bonding materials without causing harm to the paint below, or in the case of gum, WD-40 is said to remove gum from the carpet. If your child is a sticker fiend and loves to plaster them throughout the home, WD-40 can probably be your best friend.

When used as a cleaner, WD-40 is also said to be highly effective on melted crayons. In addition, the product is useful to clean equipment, bikes, tools and is often used in motor vehicles. It is especially effective in removing grease.

Protect

The WD-40 website states that "WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements". Not only to be used as a cleaner or a fix for a problematic issue, but WD-40 can also be used for proactive and preventative purposes as well.

Penetrate

As mentioned above WD-40 is effective in loosening up rusty joints that are not budging. According to the manufacturer, WD-40 loosens rust to metal bonds and unfreezes stuck and rusted parts.

Displace Moisture

Another attribute WD-40 claims to possess is displacing moisture which means it can "dry out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits" (WD-40).

Other uses

Consumers might use this product for several purposes that fall within the realm of the five basic functions WD-40 claims to possess. Many people use it for cars, boats or bicycles. Gun owners may use it to clean their guns and gardeners use it to lubricate their gardening tools. Removing sticky items such as gum or glue from the carpet is another way to apply and use WD-40 (try this in a low visible area before applying). It is also reportedly useful to remove paint and ink marks from tile flooring. Some even use it to remove ink from blue jeans.

There are literally thousands of uses for WD-40 and over the years more and more discoveries are made about what it can do. While great for cars, WD-40 is not just for mechanics anymore. These days it is just about as valuable as duct tape as a universal fixer-upper.