If you want to freshen up your car’s appearance with minimal effort, start with the wheels.
The other day, I had a persistent thought that my car’s appearance could use a quick upgrade—but without too much hassle.
The next day, while walking through a supermarket, I wandered into the car-care aisle. That’s when tire shine products caught my eye. I immediately thought about my wheels and realized they desperately needed a refresh. “That’s exactly it,” I thought.
Then I checked the prices—anywhere from $15 to $50. I looked at the ingredients, and in most of these tire shine products, glycerin was listed as the main component. That’s when I decided to make my own version at home.
Glycerin — 25 ml (one small bottle)
Acetaminophen — 3 tablets
Dish soap — one capful
Glass cleaner — about half a cup
Water — 300 ml
Crush the acetaminophen tablets into a fine powder and pour it into a 16-ounce (0.5-liter) bottle. Add all the remaining ingredients, then shake well. That’s it—the mixture is ready.
Spray the solution evenly over the entire surface of the tire. Let it sit for a few minutes so it can break down the dirt. Wipe everything off with a cloth, then rinse the tire with water.
Done—your tires look like new. The effect typically lasts one to two weeks when driving mainly on asphalt.
As a side note, if you’re applying tire shine right after a car wash, you can skip the mixture and use glycerin alone. Since the dirt has already been washed off, simply dampen a cloth with glycerin and wipe the tire.
You can see the result of the wheel treatment below. Just a heads-up: the two photos were taken at different times, which is why the lighting varies slightly (partly cloudy versus sunny).
That’s all there is to it. Now you know how to refresh your car’s appearance in just 10–15 minutes with minimal effort.