WD40 - It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore...

[pojawis]

I seem to recall that Mr. Horn had some interesting and unique uses for WD40. I have not verified the validity of the following information, but found it intriguing. Source and author unknown.
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WD-40
Well, Who Knew!

I had a neighbor who had bought a new pickup. I got up very early one Sunday Morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason). I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off. It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I'm impressed! WD-40 who knew?

Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.

Ken East (one of the original founders, says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

When you read the 'shower door' part, try it. It is the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stovetop. Voila! It is now shinier than it is ever been. You will be amazed.

Here are some of the uses:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.

2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.

3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.

4. Gives floor's that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.

5. Keeps flies off cows.

6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.

7. Removes lipstick stains.

8. Loosens stubborn zippers.

9. Untangles jewelry chains.

10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.

11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.

12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.

13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.

14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.

15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.

16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.

17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.

18. It removes black scuff-marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 on nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It does not seem to harm the finish and you will not have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.

19. Easily removes Bug guts on the finish of your car quickly.

20. Gives a child's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.

21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.

22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.

23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.

24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.

25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.

26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.

27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.

28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.

29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.

30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.

31. Removes splattered grease on stove.

32. Keeps bathroom mirrors from fogging.

33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.

34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).

35. Removes all traces of duct tape.

36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.

37. Florida's favorite use is: cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.

38. The favorite use in the state of New York WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.

39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. It is also, a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing is not allowed in some states.

40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.

41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.

42. If you also, have discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! Lipstick is gone.

43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.



P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIl.

[blueldr]

There is also a rumor that it is a effective contraceptive when properly applied. I have no difinative inforation on proper application.

[PilotMikeTX]

There is also a rumor that it is a effective contraceptive when properly applied. I have no difinative inforation on proper application.

Maybe a shot behind each ear. I know my wife doesn't want to have anything to do with me when I come home smelling, as she puts it, "Like old airplanes."

Also GoJo hand cleaner (the original, not the pumice orange stuff) works great on grease stains on clothes and a lot of other places.

And Dawn dishwashing detergent has to be one of the strongest degreasers known to man. That stuff has taken stains out clothes that I didn't think would come out!

[blueldr]

PilotMikeTX,

Strange that you should mention "Dawn" being one of the strongest degreasers known to man.
My daughter, Nancy, is a pilot for FedeX flying the Asian routes out of Subic in the Philippines.
(Shortly to be transferred to Hong Kong since they moved the hub to Guanjou (Sp.) China.
She used to fly Lockheed Herks for Southern Air Transport, mostly in Africa.
With FedEx she frequently has layovers in Singapore.
Some of her old buddies from SAT were based in Singapore contracted to a company from South Africa
to fly a South African Herc that was, and still is, on standby in Singapore loaded with an oil spill chemical
to be sprayed on the ocean in the of the event of a tanker accident. That chemical is, essentiaslly,
"Dawn" dish washing detergent.
I have no idea who pays to have that standby operation, To my knowledge they have never been called out.

[PilotMikeTX]

There's an outfit in Houma, LA that flies DC-3s and -4s doing oil spill cleanup. http://www.airbornesupport.com/

I think they use Dawn as well, except it's called Exxon-Nalco Corexit 9527. Like airplane parts, you can charge more for it if it has a fancy name.

[pojawis]

Been using Dawn (R) for quite awhile in lieu of the waterless hand cleaners. It's highly effective when initially used without water. Squirt it on, scrub well, rinse off - all clean. Great stuff.

It's also a good cleaning agent for de-skunking the pets. The Dawn folks won't tell us what's in it, but it must be a good oxidizing agent to be able to change the smelly mercaptans (thiols) into the non-odiferous sulfonic acid.

Waterfowl rescue folks and other bird rescuers use this stuff by the gallon to de-oil birds. I've also heard that Dawn is used by highway crews to remove oil from the pavement.