5 Headlight Cleaning Kits That Actually Work (According To Reviews)

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As they tend to get foggy over time, keeping the headlights of your vehicle sparkling clear is essential for many reasons. If the light's case is blurred or hazy, the beamlight will not be as effective in lighting up the road ahead, increasing the chance of hitting obstacles while driving at night. Replacing your headlights can cost a lot, but there are some cheaper workarounds to get the brand-new look back. 

The natural technique for cleaning cloudy headlights is to apply some lemon and baking soda or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda on them. Using WD-40 is also a common DIY headlight cleaning. Above all, headlight cleaning kits are an effective technique to restore your headlights for a lasting effect. Although some of the available options may not work as advertised, we have picked out the headlight cleaning kits that actually work. 

One tip before proceeding: Read through the instruction manual at least twice before you begin with the process because each of these kits comes with a limited quantity of cleaning materials and protectant, so better not waste them through incorrect application. They can last for up to two or three cleaning sprees if used efficiently; however, make sure to apply the abrasive liquids in the specified amount to achieve the desired results. 

The Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit will give the headlights of your vehicle an enhanced, sharper outlook. The cleaning process consists of three steps. First, wash the lights and cover them with the Surface Activator spray (included in the kit) for 50 seconds before washing them off with water. In the next step, follow the instruction manual and apply the wet sanding technique, then respray the Surface Activator, and you will see a visible change from yellow and hazy headlights to a clear and shiny look. The entire process takes less than 30 minutes.

Lastly, the kit has a UV Block Clear Coat, which protects the headlight against damage caused by UV rays, therefore keeping the look intact for a long period. The Surface Activator has proved to be impressive in softening the yellow gunk and dirt stuck onto the lens for quick polishing. The light output and beam pattern will be much brighter, especially at nighttime, so you can view the obstacles ahead.

Garnering 4.5/5 on Amazon and over 70% 5-star ratings, this product costs $22.75 on the platform, and more than 5,000 units have been sold in the past month alone. Meanwhile, the official site has the product rated at 4.6/5. Sylvania is confident about their product, so it comes with a lifetime warranty to keep the headlights looking as new till you own the car.

The Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit by Cerakote ($17.95) includes oxidation-removing wipes, sanding kits, and ceramic coating wipes for efficient step-by-step cleaning, as well as application gloves to keep your hands safe. Start with removing oxidation, then prepare the headlight with the applicator and sanding discs, and finally, apply a single layer of ceramic coating. All the instructions are clearly present in the manual, so no worries in that aspect. In addition, Cerakote is known for manufacturing top-notch ceramic coatings that will protect the surface from UV rays and other natural elements and chemicals.

The kit did wonders for Amazon users by turning the old hazy headlights into crystal clear ones, so they can last for another good number of years. What's better is that Cerakote backs its kit with a limited lifetime guarantee, claiming that the refined look will last as long as you own the vehicle. Overall, the headlight cleaning kit has a score of 4.6/5 from 58,047 global reviewers on Amazon, and a 5/5 on the official Cerakote product page.

What is good about the 3M Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit is that it consists of practically every tool and accessory you will need at hand, for instance, three types of disc grit, a disc holder, disposable gloves, quick headlight clear coat, and masking tape to protect the area surrounding the lights. That's it; no need for additional purchases.

The cleaning kit is designed to be harsh on hazy and yellow buildup — even scratches — eliminating it all through an extensive 40-minute process. Moreover, the kit applies to any plastic lens to restore its dull and cloudy look for better vision while driving, because most modern headlights are made from polycarbonate, a type of plastic. It does not take a professional to use this kit since the manual basically guides you through the process really well.

This kit has incredible ratings of 4.6/5 on Amazon and Walmart and is priced at $14.84, with customers praising its results and longevity. Base Speed and Machine on YouTube successfully restored the headlights of their rundown 2003 Mk4 Volkswagen Jetta using this kit, showing a clear-cut difference in before and after conditions.

The 21X 3-inch Car Headlight Lens Restoration Repair Kit on eBay is recommended by 74% of the buyers, while 77% appreciate its quality, leading to a total score of 4.3/5 for the product. Restore the yellow and corroded headlights back to life with an easy four-step cleaning procedure to get a lasting effect for up to a year. Not only headlights, but it also works on taillights, fog lights, directional lights, and more so you can juice out maximum brightness without expensive replacements.

Furthermore, there are 21 pieces — including scouring pads, sanding discs, a backup sanding pad, and a soft sponge buffering pad — the essentials for an efficient restoration. However, one downside of this kit is that it requires a household drill for sanding and buffing, unlike the others we saw earlier. An eBay customer used the kit on their 2001 Dodge Ram and saw actual results in headlight visibility. This kit is up for grabs for $12.45.

Like all kits, the Turtle Wax Headlight Restoration Kit goes tough on yellow stains and corroded buildup on your car's headlights — removing them for improved visibility of the path ahead. The steps are simple: sand, polish, and protect with the Lens Sealing Wipes that are created with ceramic technology for a lasting shine of up to one year. Make sure to wipe the lights dry before proceeding with the final step to juice out maximum benefit.

Although the kit is rated at 4.3/5 on Amazon, the ease of use and instant results are seen by the users. However, one issue associated with the Turtle Wax product is that it requires a significant amount of time spent on sanding and polishing for the results to be noticeable — keep about 20 minutes for each headlight. On top of this, a Reddit user was able to restore their grimy headlights back to new with the Turtle Wax Kit, and the results were actually wow. Amazon offers it for $16.14.

Each of the cleaning kits we mentioned here was reviewed critically on many aspects. The ones picked from Amazon have at least a rating of 4.5/5 with more than 5,000 user reviews, with 70% of them being 5-star ratings. But the Turtle Wax Kit was an exception (4.3/5), so we resorted to other user platforms for evaluating the product's effectiveness in cleaning headlights. Assessing these aspects helped us ensure that we only recommend the products that actually work without wasting a single penny on your side.

Other than these, for eBay listings, the minimum score criteria was set to 4.3/5, since in comparison with Amazon, eBay is a smaller-scale platform. Not just these, but we also dug out what customers have to say about respective kits on other online platforms, like Reddit and YouTube. After considering everything, we used our own expertise with headlight cleaning kits to bring you the best of them.