# What is WD40 actually the best for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530 "2013-04-23T20:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/21 "2013-04-24T04:09:44Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > spray it on a paper towel and wipe on. it might save on the oil and eliminate having it drip. The rails are pretty hidden and it takes the straw to get to them. The way they do it is quick and easy which is necessary when they’re really busy. Besides, if I try to give them a different way I’ll probably get one of those “Well then why don’t _you_ do it then” replies. [This](http://www.thetenderizerstore.com/i/SLICER%20PARTS/1612.jpg) is not exactly what our slicer looks like, but trying to get at the rails is similar. The chute rides on two rails, one above that long slot and one below it. Spraying it with a lubricant that comes out of straw works pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/22 "2013-04-24T04:33:58Z")
As mentioned, it works great for taking off bumper stickers and the like. I’ve heard tell that it makes great halibut bait. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/23 "2013-04-24T04:37:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > As long as I can weasel out of doing the actual slicing, the can use whatever they please. > They just call me over when the thing breaks. > > We did have an interesting problem with it though. Apparently it’s a bit drippy. So it drips off the rails, onto the table and the entire slicer slides around on the table like it’s on casters. But now they have some system where they put a piece of paper towel under the rails before they spray it so it drips onto that. Of course, if they didn’t leave the paper towel there all day, it might not stink for the next two hours. > > Like I said, as long as I don’t have to do all the slicing all day, they can spray whatever they want on it and they really like the Aero-Kroil and from what I’ve seen it really does work well in this application. We use that machine a lot and your arm gets tired in a hurry if it’s not working smoothly. For use around food equipment I would use a food grade silicone spray. It should work great and no worries about smell or contamination. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/24 "2013-04-24T07:43:42Z")
WD-40 should not be used on anything with tight tolerances because it will eventually gum up and cause it to bind. Lock cylinders come to mind. The pins in the cylinder will stick and then the lock fails. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/25 "2013-04-24T10:24:22Z")
WD-40 also works really well at dissolving the grease out of bicycle hub bearings if you squirt it in the wrong place. Ask me how I know. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/26 "2013-04-24T11:04:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > WD-40 should not be used on anything with tight tolerances because it will eventually gum up and cause it to bind. Lock cylinders come to mind. The pins in the cylinder will stick and then the lock fails. Hear hear. Mrs. Tango uses WD-40 on everything (well, maybe not everything, as **Siam Sam** attested upthread). I had to get her to stop putting it into lock cylinders. Graphite there – only graphite. ---
**Author:** ![thatguyjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@thatguyjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatguyjeff)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/27 "2013-04-24T16:54:51Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > Is there any other use for which WD40 is the _best product available_? It’s a moisture inhibitor. That’s it’s primary, intended purpose. Whether or not it is the “best product available” for that purpose, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/28 "2013-04-24T18:27:03Z")
I used WD40 to rid my deck of wood boring [carpenter bees](http://www.loghomecare.com/carpenter_bees.html). Stuff dries out there skin and they die in the hole. I don’t mind bees, but when they start boring into my home its game on. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/29 "2013-04-24T19:27:34Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > Hear hear. Mrs. Tango uses WD-40 on everything (well, maybe not everything, as **Siam Sam** attested upthread). I had to get her to stop putting it into lock cylinders. > > Graphite there – only graphite. Right – ditto for guitar machine heads (the gear parts between the tuning knob and the post the guitar string winds onto). Works great at first, but collects grit which ends up destroying the gears. Graphite is the correct solution here. WD-40 is great for a squeaky door hinge or whatnot, when you need a little lubricant for something that’s not special-purpose. I may be misremembering, but I think it’s what the Navy Chief had us use on the Springfield-03’s we used for drill, to avoid rust in the Florida climate. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/30 "2013-04-24T19:53:04Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > (PBB is worth buying just to read the label) Yeah, the label does make it look like the Dr. Bronner’s of lubricants, doesn’t it? My favorite is the test they urge you to try by comparing how fast PBB can melt through a styrofoam cup compared to the competition. :eek: 😃 Gotta love that bro-science! ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/31 "2013-04-25T16:24:25Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I can tell you that KY jelly is better than WD40 for certain applications. Don’t ask how I know. > > But we use WD40 – nowadays at least – for squeaky hinges. :eek: 🙂 :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/32 "2013-04-25T17:22:12Z")
I just cured an annoying set of squeaky door hinges with a couple blasts of WD40. Nothing works better. And it’s keeping my knees limber (no need for expensive and painful joint surgery). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/34 "2013-07-05T16:55:30Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/35 "2013-07-05T17:21:16Z")
Geeky Factoid: The WD stands for “water displacement”. I’d heard it was WD:War Department I used to pack that stuff, BTW, and this is what happened to the factory [http://www.vice.com/en\_uk/read/Let-Piss-On-The-City-That-Burning-Down-There](http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/Let-Piss-On-The-City-That-Burning-Down-There) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/36 "2013-07-05T18:53:29Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > A mechanic friend gave us a bottle of Aero-Kroil to use on our deli slicer. It smells awful, but seems to work pretty well. I haven’t really tried it in places where I might use WD-40/PB Blaster/Liquid Wrench, but of everything they’ve tried to keep the slicer moving nicely (the part that moves back and forth on the rails), they’ve liked this the best, by far. Kano labs makes a whole bunch of other things beside Kroil and AeroKroil (the aerosol can version). I imagine in your situation, Microil or an actual lubricant in their catalog might be an even better choice. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/37 "2013-07-05T19:09:26Z")
> [@thatguyjeff](#): > > It’s a moisture inhibitor. That’s it’s primary, intended purpose. Yep, that’s pretty much all I use it for. Those tool rolls/bags you get for cars and bikes? I mist mine with WD40 to keep them from rusting - so far, so good. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/38 "2013-07-05T19:46:08Z")
I was told when I worked at the BBC that the early slow motion replay machines used for sports broadcasts where huge spinning disks of something fancy like selenium. Like early hard drives they had heads that were supposed to float on an air cushion - but often crashed disastrously, so someone tried pouring WD-40 on the disks so the heads now rode on a film of the stuff and apparently it worked. No idea if that’s true, but I was told it by old-timers who’d been involved with Sports OBs ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/39 "2013-07-06T02:53:33Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Back in the days before coil-on-plug ignition systems became ubiquitous, WD40 was great for getting a car with a poorly-insulated ignition system to run on a damp day. Of course, I suppose the “best” product for that was a new distributor cap and spark plug wires. Used to have a car that would stop running during thunderstorms/heavy rain. Friends were very amused when I’d coast to the side of the road, pop the hood and spray in some WD-40. Eventually I think it did finally occur to me that I could replace the wires, but it was amazing how the WD-40 would bring the car back to life. ---
**Author:** ![theinscrutabledoctorknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@theinscrutabledoctorknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theinscrutabledoctorknow)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/40 "2013-07-06T05:49:14Z")
It depends on what the need is. For many lubrication applications anything from WD40 to goose grease will work fine. One thing WD40 is best for is lubricating the bearings on computer fans. Over time some fans will slow down to a fraction of nominal speed and cant achieve nominal speed anymore. You can deliver a very precise amount to the bearing precisely where you want it. It cleans and lubricates the bearing and the fan returns to nominal speed. Your normal 3in1 oil would cause the bearing to collect dust and it usually gets splattered where you dont want it. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530/41 "2013-07-06T13:36:51Z")
> [@theinscrutabledoctorknow](#): > > It depends on what the need is. For many lubrication applications anything from WD40 to goose grease will work fine. One thing WD40 is best for is lubricating the bearings on computer fans. Over time some fans will slow down to a fraction of nominal speed and cant achieve nominal speed anymore. You can deliver a very precise amount to the bearing precisely where you want it. It cleans and lubricates the bearing and the fan returns to nominal speed. Your normal 3in1 oil would cause the bearing to collect dust and it usually gets splattered where you dont want it. I always just took the sticker off (which exposes the bushing and shaft), put a small drop of some kind of light machine oil in there (it was typically gun oil), and put the sticker back on, and usually taped over it to be sure. I had PC fans that were making funny sounds and running slow return to normal and stay that way for a LONG time- until the PCs were retired, which was 2 years later in many cases. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wd40-actually-the-best-for/656530.md?page=3)