Don’t be fooled: WD-40 can do more than just combat rust and corrosion and silence those squeaks you hear around the house. Here are 11 incredible ways to use WD-40 at home.

WD-40 loosens the stubborn hinges, gets rid of those annoying squeaks and keeps your tools rust and corrosion free. But did you know the iconic blue and yellow can has plenty more uses for the house? Here are 11 WD-40 household cleaning hacks you need to know about.
1. Protects wood and metal

WD-40 actually stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula. Chemist Norm Larsen who developed WD-40 wanted to create a formula to prevent corrosion and perfected his creation after 40 tries. That’s why using WD-40 on wood stops it from splintering and metal from corroding. Try it on your DIY tools, brooms or mops with a wooden handle.
2. No more floor-scruff marks and tea stains

Instead of hurting your arms rubbing the floor vigorously with an all-purpose cleaner to remove black scuff marks or tar off your floor, try WD-40 instead. A few sprays should make it much easier to get the marks off within seconds. Also works to clean grout lines on tiles.
Read more: 7 flooring options for your home that won’t blow your budget
3. Helps leather last longer

Not only can WD-40 clean the stains off your expensive leather couch, but it also protects the surface from future cracks or damage. However, test a small hidden surface area first before applying WD-40, as varying qualities of leather react differently to chemicals. When cleaning leather, remember to be gentle; dab instead of rubbing and start from the outside of the stain, moving inwards
4. Leaves toilet bowls immaculate

Heard of the urban legend of using a can of Coke to clean your toilet bowl? WD-40 works too — a couple of sprays easily dissolves all the gunk and stains around the toilet bowl, making it easier to clean with a toilet brush. For the rest of your toilet, we have some ideas on how you clean it like a professional.
Read more: 5 tips to keep your bathroom sparkling clean all the time
5. Dissolves super glue and grease

After a little DIY work around the house, it’s annoying to have super glue or grease stuck all over your fingers. Spray a little WD-40 on your fingers and rub them to remove the glue or grease, and wash your hands with soap and water to clean them completely. WD-40 also works to dissolve super glue on other spots you’ve glued on by mistake.
Read more: 6 easy DIY kitchen upgrades anyone can do
6. Gets rid of sticker residue

Don’t waste your time trying to dig away old sticker residue with your fingernails. Grab a can of WD-40, spray on the sticker residue and leave it for a minute. You should be able to wipe it off easily with a cloth. This works for most surfaces, including glass. No price tag, duct tape or cartoon sticker marks are safe from WD-40.
7. Removes stains from carpets

Tough stains on your carpets and rugs can be hard to clean with just a carpet cleaner. Make life easier with a few sprays of WD-40 on the stain. After a minute or two, it should take minimal effort to clean the stain off with the carpet cleaner now. If that doesn’t work, another couple of WD-40 sprays should get the job done. And while we’re on the topic of rugs, here are some tips on choosing the right rug for your home.
Read more: How to remove every type of carpet stain
8. Erase crayon and pen marks off walls

Are your kids drawing on the walls when you’re not around? Just spray on some WD-40 and wipe off those scribbles with a clean rag. Your wall is good as new and undamaged by WD-40. If you’re looking to protect your walls long-term, how about converting one section of your children’s room into a “chalkboard wall”? Try this and other ideas to brighten up your children’s room.
9. A substitute bug spray

Kill off pesky cockroaches, spiders and other creepy crawlies terrorising your home with a spray of WD-40. Take note that the fumes can be quite harmful, so try not to resort to WD-40 unless you’ve really run out of insect spray. Then keep them out of your home with these tips to prevent cockroaches and house flies.
Read more: 12 most effective mosquito repellent plants for your home
10. Wipes off hard to clean paw marks

Coming home to your beloved pets brings joy after a long day of work, and cleaning off their paw prints all over the house could just add to the stress. Spray some WD-40, and wipe those marks clean with an all-purpose cleaner. Don’t use too much as the fumes aren’t safe for your pets.
11. Fix Nintendo Switch controllers

If you have been playing Animal Crossing on your Nintendo Switch during the Movement Control Order (MCO), you will realise that at some point your joy controller will start to drift — it’s an issue that causes the analogue sticks on the controllers to randomly move around when they’re not being moved physically. While drifting is a big issue, it is certainly annoying. Thankfully, there’s a way to reverse it. For this, you’ll need WD-40 Contact Cleaner. First, make sure to detach your joy-con from the device and un-sync it. Then, gently lift the thin rubber layer (it’s located underneath the controller) with a tweezer and spray. Leave it for a few seconds. Finally, go to the System Settings to check if your controllers are all good. If not, try doing it a couple more times or you can send your joy-con for repair.
For everything else around the house, check out these DIY eco-friendly cleaning products that are sure to leave your home squeaky clean.