While learning to drive, it is almost impossible to not bash your ride. Even professional drivers bash and get bashed from time to time too, so don’t beat yourself up when you experience one.
When I got my first scratch, I felt miserable. I just got the car and I treated it like an egg. I drove back home and stood for many minutes watching the damage.
My neighbour saw it and scoffed. “This is minor na,” he said. “It is nothing.”
I looked at his car. The Camry “Big Daddy” had so many scratch marks on it the car now looked like an angry old person. I did not want that for my baby, so I went upstairs and dived into Google.
A lot of suggestions came up (from using a polishing fluid to respraying the car and others), but they all looked expensive and far-fetched. I needed something quick and cheap, at least to offer some soothing difference before I would be able to carry out the real remedy.
I saw a couple of scratch removers online but ordering one would take a day or two. I was about ordering one still when I stumbled on a “DIY” post about using toothpaste to remove car scratches.
Toothpaste? It felt magical. I have two unused tubes of toothpaste at home so I can quickly try this, I thought. I prayed it worked.
So did it work?
Was the toothpaste able to remove the scratch marks and dents on my car?
Well, here are everything you should know about using toothpaste to remove dents on your car:
1. First of all, it is toothpaste, not Merlin’s magic.
Don’t expect something that struggles to give your teeth a fantastic shine to remove every single scratch mark on your car and return it to its original state.
Truth is, toothpaste actually makes a difference and you are going to see it after you are done, BUT it won’t remove everything. Only the minor, superficial scratches will go, not the deep cuts.
2. Be ready to work hard. Very hard.
Don’t expect the scratches to instantly disappear immediately you touch them with toothpaste.
The actual procedure of removing car scratches with toothpaste is:
a. First, clean your car with a damp fabric to remove all dust and expose the scratched area.
b. Apply toothpaste on a soft towel and then start rubbing over the scratches in continuous circular motions. By my personal experience, making the towel a little damp before applying the toothpaste helps the process.
Also, DO NOT apply the toothpaste directly to your car. Apply the toothpaste on the cloth or towel before rubbing on the car.
You have to keep rubbing till you see a difference. This could take several minutes of continuous work, by which time you might be sweating profusely.
Just keep on rubbing!
What brand of toothpaste is great for removing scratches and dents from a car?
Again, by my personal experience, use Colgate Whitening Toothpaste. I believe any whitening toothpaste should work.
Dabur and other herbal toothpaste varieties will likely not work though.
