Spotting a scratch on your car is never a welcome discovery. Whether you've left your motor on a dodgy street or accidentally scuffed it with bad parking, it's a frustrating sight to behold.
Yet it happens remarkably often, especially if you haven't got off-street parking. And when you notice damage to your vehicle, sorting it out yourself is rarely inexpensive. Now a motoring guru has unveiled a wallet-friendly hack for eliminating scratches that won't drain your bank account – in fact, it'll only cost you £1 from your local supermarket. It's likely you might even have the product at home.
The woman, known as @driver_ms_may to her 4.9million Instagram followers, regularly posts her motoring advice online. In one clip, she asked: "Why do 100million experienced drivers keep a bottle of toothpaste in their cars?"
She explained the reason and revealed that toothpaste has "three functions" in vehicles which are incredibly "practical".
The driving guru elaborated: "If there are scratches on the car, we only need to apply toothpaste on the scratches, then wipe it back and forth with a towel a few times. Look it is very clean, it saves repair costs."
But the advantages of toothpaste stretch beyond scratch removal. She also suggested it could be used to stop water droplets from building up on mirrors.
She added: "Second, when driving on rainy days it is very easy for water droplets to appear on the rear view mirror, so just apply toothpaste then spread it evenly.
"Third, the wiper strips are ageing and can't scrape the glass cleanly. Just apply toothpaste on the rubber strips, wipe it back and forth a few times. So that the glass can be scraped cleanly, isn't this knowledge very practical?"
Since it was posted online, many people praised her for the "great tips", while one added: "Four out of five dentists recommend using toothpaste in your car."
Does toothpaste remove car scratches? Expert advice from RAC
According to motoring experts at the RAC, if your fingernail doesn't catch on the scratch, it's likely sitting within the clear coat of the paintwork — and toothpaste could well do the trick.
Whitening toothpaste is your best bet, though any brand will do. Simply work the toothpaste into the scratch, then rinse the area thoroughly with soapy water to ensure all the excess is removed.
Finish up by drying the area with a microfibre cloth. If the scratches remain visible, repeat the process up to two more times, making sure to rinse and dry between each application to monitor progress.
The RAC experts cautioned: "Don't repeat more than twice to avoid any lasting damage to your paintwork."
That said, if the scratch is more serious and has penetrated beyond the clear or base coat into the primer or bare metal panel, you should take your car to a professional.