Surely you’re familiar with WD-40. It’s lubrication in a can for all kinds of things from bicycle chains to squeaky door hinges to – well, just about anything imaginable. I guess you could say it’s like duct tape in a can, but only sort of the polar opposite.
I’ve used the product for just about as long as I can remember for a whole plethora of household tasks, but it was only a couple of years ago that I discovered one of my favorite uses of WD-40 yet. As winter is rapidly approaching, you might find yourself appreciating this discovery too.
My Chevy van had keyless entry, but it was not exactly dependable anymore. I was always having to use the key to unlock the doors manually, but I found the locks are really rough and hard to work. When I started thinking about the problem and what any easy solution might be, I immediately thought of WD-40 with its straw spray applicator.
The straw practically fit right into the van’s key hole and one quick spray burst followed by a couple of practice turns with the key was just enough to make the locks as smooth as brand new. I don’t remember how the conversation came up, but when I mentioned this to my neighbor, he told me that he uses the same technique to keep his car locks from freezing in the winter. It really works.
Just one more piece of advice though. If you happen to get any overspray on your vehicle’s paint, do try and wipe it off completely with a clean rag as soon as possible. It shouldn’t really hurt anything if you do get some on the paint, but better safe than sorry, right?
Still wondering what the secret is? Although WD-40 maintains a list of over 2,000+ totally practical uses for the wonder product right on their website, those wanting to know exactly just what does WD-40 stand for anyway might be surprised that it was created for one purpose only. Invented in 1953, the product was intended to be a finish protectant used by the aerospace industry. “WD” actually means “Water Displacement” and the number “40” represents the number of tries it took to finally get the formula just right.