Practical Prepper
2,000+ Practical And Survival Uses For WD-40
If you’re a survivalist and you don’t know a few uses for WD-40, then you have been probably living under a rock. No American prepper or survivalist is not without a list of uses for WD-40. Growing up, I was always (jokingly) told that ” It ain’t broken unless you can’t fix it with duct tape or WD-40″.
I wanted to take a moment to focus on WD-40. Most of us already know how handy this slippery liquid can be. But do you know exactly how many different uses there really are for it? I recently found a site that lists over 2,000 different uses for it and I have to say that some of them were pretty interesting. Read on to find out what they are.
The Thousands of Uses for WD-40 You Need to Know!
WD-40 Uses on Cars and Vehicles
- Buff out scuff marks on bumpers
- Gets gunk off steering wheel mechanism
- Lubricates axles on miniature racing cars
- Removes road debris from license plate
- Helps remove protective coverings from new cars
- Lubricates gear sprockets on mountain bikes
- Lubricates joints on golf pull-carts
- Removes melted gum from dashboards
- Removes scuff marks from cars caused by shopping carts
- Spray on suspension gaskets to resist deterioration
- Spray on a rag and wipe steering wheel and gearshift knobs to keep them grease-free and grip-able
- Cleans gunk from electrical contacts
- Removes carbon residue from spark plugs
- Cleans pin striping tape from the car
- Cleans ignition wires
- Removes crayon from the dashboard
- Cleans spare tire mount under the pickup bed
- Cleans gunk off snow chains
- Lubricates sail tracks
- Lubricates tiller arm on a sailboat
- Removes melted rubber from exhaust pipes
- Prevents oxidation on battery connections
- Removes pine tar from truck bed covers
- Lubricates pedals of paddle boats
- Loosens swivel on bicycle handlebars
- Lubricates gears on exercise bikes
- Cleans gummy buildup from steering wheels
- Winterizes engine parts to prevent from rusting and corrosion
- Use WD-40 to polish car
Home and Garden
- Helps remove skid marks from cement
- Cleans salt-impregnated ice from the soles of Doctor Marten’s boots
- Removes cell phone antenna glue from glass
- Cleans bugs from a rooftop cellular antenna
- Removes grime from a cellular antenna to improve reception
- Removes gum from floorboards
- Cleans gum from door sills
- Cleans sand from door joints
- Removes gum from floor mats
- Removes gum stuck in door locks
- Use on swamp cooler to prevent burnout or seizing
- Removes crayon from vinyl surfaces
- Removes debris stuck on floor mats
- Coat the wires in tomato cages to keep insects away
- Spray on hole diggers to slide off the dirt easily
- Make homemade rust remover from WD-40
- Keeps clay from sticking to a shovel
- Prevents rake from rusting
Outdoor Survival
- Lubricates gun strap hardware
- Lubricates potato guns
- Loosens chainsaw triggers
- Lubricates sling swivels on hunting rifles
- Lubricates handheld clay pigeon launcher
- Removes tree sap from tree snippers
- Lubricate pellet guns
- Lubricate hinges on crawfish traps
- Spray fishing bait to mask the scent of a human on the bait
- Make catfish bait with chicken, garlic powder, and liquid WD-40
- Cleans and protects the underside of cast iron skillet
- Cleans build-up on a hedge trimmer
And just in case you’re wondering if and when you should use WD-40 or Duct tape, here is a handy-dandy flowchart I also found online.
These are just some of the uses for WD-40 from the ultimate list we found. Be sure to check out the rest of the uses for WD-40 in this pdf file.
Watch this fun video from Household Hacker for a close look into the many uses for WD-40:
We cannot stress enough the importance of WD-40 in a household and in your everyday goings-on. These 2000 and counting uses for WD-40 are more than enough but we are sure there are plenty more. We are also sure survivalist and preppers are the first ones to find more practical and survival uses for WD-40. We will keep you posted and updated with more inventions for WD-40 survival uses!
What “oddball” uses have you found for WD-40 and do you keep it in your supplies? Let us know in the comments section below!
Up Next: 7 Cost-Effective Uses For Shipping Containers Survivalists Should Know
For awesome survival gear, you can’t make at home, check out the Survival Life Store!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!
The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 17, 2015, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
-
Do It Yourself7 months agoParacord Projects | 36 Cool Paracord Ideas For Your Paracord Survival Projects
-
Do It Yourself9 months agoHow To Make Paracord Survival Bracelets | DIY Survival Prepping
-
Do It Yourself9 months ago21 Home Remedies For Toothache Pain Relief
-
Do It Yourself10 months agoSurvival DIY: How To Melt Aluminum Cans For Casting
-
Exports8 months agoAre Switchblades Legal? Knife Laws By State
Edward
November 18, 2013 at 11:21 AM
fish attractant on hard lastic fishing lures
jimmy carter
November 25, 2013 at 4:36 PM
yes but dont get caught using it. its illegal
Dino
November 18, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Cleans and polishes your stainless steel bbq
jonathan ramey
November 18, 2013 at 1:49 PM
Takes tinting off your widows.
Pogo
November 18, 2013 at 6:43 PM
“lubricates everything” is all encompasing and logical. And, will probably eliminate about 1500 from the list. No need to attempt to make a comprehensive list of everything in the universe that it can lubricate. i.e. lubricates the hinge on the space station hatch no. 3.
If duct tape can’t fix it, use bailing wire. 22-16 gauge usually strong enough for many repairs.
worm clamps are great too. I don’t like the cheap junk they sell at harbor frieght, get the good ones at auto parts stores.
Douglas Dobson
November 20, 2013 at 12:23 AM
seriously, I could probably figure out 2000 different things it could lubricate dissolve or clean too, but 1800 of them would have a better alternative, 150 would be repeated using different wording, 30 would be completely in the imagination of the author who never really even tried it, and the other twenty uses would be legitimate good uses for WD40
Larry Meeter
November 18, 2013 at 9:20 PM
WD 40 is not a lubricant it is water dispersal formula # 40 made to remove moisture from aero space parts it is a very poorlube but does have a lot of uses if you need to lube something use oil product I recommend tool box buddy oil from NAPA or for extreme pressure applications I use TRI-FLOW has teflon in it.
Larry
Kurt Gubrud
August 21, 2018 at 1:39 PM
Larry ,you are so correct,it makes you wonder about the claims in the article.Liquid wrench and other products are better for mechanic work.And spray silicone is great for long lasting lubrication.Good old, 3 in one oil,is a good household lubricant.For sticking wood drawers,doors that swell and stick and are hard to open, I like to use a candle stub to rub on the friction areas.
Mike
November 18, 2013 at 9:52 PM
Saw a guy using it on fresh dead bait while offshore trolling for kingfish. Thought he was crazy, but after our 2 day trip was over, that guy had caught more than twice as any fish than anyone else, and probably spent 1/2 the time actually fishing.
The Zen Archer
November 18, 2013 at 10:07 PM
The basic ingredient is fish oil. It was invented in 1953 as a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. It was called a “water displacement” compound and they were successful on the 40th formulation, thus WD 40.
Mike Mendoza
August 21, 2018 at 8:35 AM
Never knew that, Thanks.
Larry
November 19, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Here’s a good one, but don’t do it too often, put a drop of W-D in the cavity of a pellet that’s being used in a spring piston air rifle, when the spring slams home it ignites the liquid and turns an air rifle into a firearm. This is called dieseling and while not good for the gun it works very well in an emergency.
Hipockets
November 20, 2013 at 12:19 AM
My Mother and Mother-In-Law used it for their Arthiritis’
Just rub it on area that hurts’ They swore by it'(they always
smelled like it too’)
fav
November 25, 2013 at 9:27 PM
WD-40 will also kill yellow jackets, wasps, etc. It will drop them instantly like wasp spray.
james
December 3, 2013 at 5:28 PM
when used with a lighter, it becomes a make-shift flamethrower. Works great for killing a nest of hornets, earwigs, or any other batch of undesirable critters.
fred
December 5, 2013 at 4:17 PM
It’s good for coughs, colds, and sore assholes. Cures diarrhea, gonorrhea. Caution, doubling the dose may terminate unwanted
pregnancies.
t4nsh
March 6, 2018 at 4:41 PM
These are awesome. My dad had one of those great big welding compressors and when I pumped up by little bike with it, I wold clean my tire and wheels with his WD 40.
He could never find “The damn stuff”
Loved his little girl though.