A mechanic revealed a simple, cheap way to clean your car’s battery with this baking soda hack that is going viral on TikTok.
The TikTok account for Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice) often posts videos of its mechanics offering automotive advice.
How to clean a car battery with baking soda
In a video posted on Saturday, Royalty Auto Service offers “A Cheap, Easy Way to Clean Your Battery Like We Do In the Shop!” The video amassed more than 200,000 views.
Sherwood, the technician in the video, uses a combination of water and baking soda for this trick. One of the terminals on the battery he’s working on is caked with corrosion. “Baking soda–we’re just going to dump in a bunch of it,” he says. “I’m not measuring—I’m not baking something here. I’ve got warm water in here. We’re just going to mix it up. And then all we’re gonna do is we’re just gonna put that on there. And you can see it’s just going to town on all that corrosion.”
Sherwood notes that he placed a pan underneath the vehicle to catch the runoff. He then demonstrates how to use a wire brush to clean off the remaining corrosion from the terminal and the battery cable end. “Any time you’re working with battery stuff, make sure you’re wearing your safety glasses,” he says. “I have seen them explode. So, just be careful.”
“Been doing it this way for about 25 years!” the shop notes in the caption of the video.
@royaltyautoservice Been doing it this way for about 25 years! #mechaniclife #mechanicsoftiktok #automotive #cartok #diy #battery #oilchange #technician #viral #stitch #duet #fyp #foryou ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
This isn’t the only baking soda car hack on TikTok. Here are a few more tricks.
Remove scratches from paint jobs
TikToker Daddy Brownn is known for his baking soda hacks. Earlier in the year, he informed his viewers about another use for the baking ingredient. And that is to remove scratches from your car’s paint job. “All you’re gonna need for this is baking soda; some water; and some cotton balls, cotton rounds, or soft cloth. So we’re gonna make a past using baking soda and water, and it’s gonna be a one-part baking soda, to one-part water,” he says in the video. It’s important to note this works best on minor blemishes. You’re still gonna have to visit the body shop for anything more serious.
Repel water from your car windshield
If that wasn’t enough value for your baking powder investment, you will be pleased to know that Daddy Brown isn’t out of ideas. He also recommends this water-repellent windshield hack. Essentially, he pours baking soda onto a damp rag and rubs it into the windshield of his vehicle until it dissolves. “Once the baking soda is dissolved, you can just get more and continue to do it.” Some viewers are skeptical, but this does apparently work. Some sources recommend adding dish soap to the mix.
Fix foggy headlights
Over time, headlights get foggy due to sun exposure and built up grime. Daddy Brownn strikes again with a baking soda hack that involves cotton rounds and glass cleaner. He says you can even build this “headlights restoration kit” with products from the Dollar Store. All you have to do is create a paste using baking soda and water and smear the paste onto your headlights. “Baking soda is abrasive enough to remove the dirt and dog but it’s not gonna damage the surface,” he says.
Remove odors from car interior
We all know what it’s like to drive around with an unexplained or unmitigated stench in your vehicle. It’s not fun. Whether that’s a misplaced produce item or the results of car sickness, Daddy Brownn has you covered yet again. ““The smell from your car is coming from acidic particles, which have a very low pH. Baking soda has a high pH, around 8 to 9, and what it’s gonna do is neutralize those acidic particles and gonna absorb the odors,” he explains. He sprinkles the baking soda directly onto the car floorboard and seat, and then he takes out a rag and starts scrubbing.
The Daily Dot reached out to Royalty Auto Service via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also reached out to Daddy Brownn via TikTok direct message for comment.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
