You put a lot of work into your car, so it’s frustrating to discover that something’s scratched the paint job. There are plenty of DIY methods around that help you work out a dent, but what about paint scratches and scuffs? Luckily, it is possible to buff paint scratches on your car easily.
The catch? They must be minor scratches. If it’s deep, you definitely want to take it to a professional. But if it’s a shallow scratch, rather than hunting for the right auto paint touch up kit, just grab a tube of toothpaste from the bathroom.
How To Buff Paint Scratches Using Toothpaste
Take a soft, dry cloth and a dab of toothpaste. Use circular motions over the scuff mark to gradually buff it away. When you can’t see the scratch anymore, you’re done! Make sure the area around the paint scratch is clean so you don’t risk buffing dirt or grit into your paint and making it worse.
This method works best on shallow, minor scratches which haven’t fully penetrated your car’s clear coat. If you can catch your fingernail on the scratch, it’s too deep to fix with toothpaste and you should contact a body shop instead.
How does it work? Good question!
Toothpaste works a bit like sandpaper for your teeth, but don’t think about that too much or it’ll make you cringe. It acts as a light abrasive, polishing and smoothing the surface.
On car paint scratches, toothpaste does the same thing, gently working to even out the clear coat on your car to erase the appearance of the scratch.
If you want to speed up the process, you can even use a buffing attachment on your drill (but we don’t suggest trying this on your teeth!).
Can you use any type of toothpaste?
Whitening toothpaste is best. Although you don’t feel it on our teeth, whitening toothpaste has a grittier texture and contains mild abrasives similar to those found in car polish. As you buff the whitening toothpaste onto your car, those abrasives will work to gently smooth the surface and leave an even shine.
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