Kentucky man’s viral car hack sparks chaos: Can a magic eraser actually fix your windshield?

Keeping your car clean can be something your reputation and mood depend on. You don’t want to be the person whose passengers can’t quite place what exactly they’re smelling, or who are struggling to see through the windshield. Kentucky’s Facebook car hacks influencer Ceith Griffith luckily took time out of his day to break it down for users.

We’ve already covered that when getting a car, the entry will always depend on negotiation and how great of a deal you were able to secure for yourself. But closely after that is the maintenance; you need to figure out whether you’re buying a used car that doesn’t need immediate fixes. And if the car does need immediate fixes, how much does it cost — and do you qualify for a payment plan?

But one thing that is seldom discussed is how to ensure a car that runs well is also presentable. Griffith took to the platform to inform his followers on some interesting hacks to keep a car clean. Griffith’s hacks were twofold: using a magic eraser to clear the dirt and fog from your windscreen, and placing an open bottle of vinegar inside your car to absorb all the unwanted odors in it.

Griffith’s page on Facebook is full of hacks such as using Vaseline, Coca-Cola, and other easily accessible household products in the pursuit of making sure your car is spic and span. But he doesn’t always get an agreeable reception from his followers. For instance, in this particular case, one person in the comments said they have been trying to use Magic Eraser but it doesn’t work — only for a fellow commenter to respond: “It’s cuz he’s full of it. If you want your windshield to get really clean use warm soapy water — preferably Dawn — with some rubbing alcohol and a scrubby pad. Put a towel down on your dash, scrub your windshield, wipe it, do it again, and then wash it down with window cleaner and it’ll be like brand new. Been detailing cars for 20 years.”

Motor1 did a little digging on the claims made by both Griffith and his commenters. The first person they reached out to was Mr. Clean, the owner of Magic Eraser — the ever astute businessman didn’t give a no or a yes on whether his product is efficient in cleaning windshields. Instead, he said you should always first test on a small area.

As for vinegar, science fully backs this idea. Vinegar is an acetic acid, which means it will bond with volatile molecules — usually the odors released from food that has gone bad or other undesirable smells floating around in your enclosed car.

So that means Griffith was somewhat right on this. Always keep a Magic Eraser and vinegar as part of your car cleaning routine. Again, one of the highest markers of self-respect is moving around your area with a spotless car. And as you can clearly see, it doesn’t take too much to achieve that. Lost respect, however, takes far more to regain than you could ever imagine.