WD-40 Safety: Dangerous Side Effects You Need to Know (Flammability, Fumes, Kids)

Look, everyone's got a can of WD-40 somewhere. Under the sink, in the garage, that junk drawer in the kitchen. It's just one of those things people keep around because it works on basically everything—squeaky doors, stuck zippers, rusty whatever.

But there's actually some stuff about it that's worth knowing. Not in a scary way, just in a "hey, probably good to be aware of this" way. The company that makes it puts all this info in their safety sheet anyway, so it's not like they're hiding anything.

The Fumes Can Make You Feel Kinda Weird

That smell WD-40 has? Everyone knows it. Turns out if you're breathing it in a lot, you might get dizzy or feel a little out of it.

Spraying a door hinge real quick? No big deal. But like, if someone's in their garage with everything closed up, soaking tools or degreasing a bunch of car parts for an hour, that's different. People can get headaches, feel dizzy, nauseous—just not great.

The fix is pretty simple though. Open a window. Leave the garage door up. Just get some air moving and it's fine.

If someone does feel off, just go outside for a bit. Fresh air usually fixes it. If it doesn't, or if breathing gets weird, then yeah, maybe see a doctor.

Kids Swallowing It Is Legitimately Dangerous

The actual recipe for WD-40 is secret, but there's petroleum oil in there, some CO2, and this thing called aliphatic hydrocarbon. That last one's the problem.

It's toxic when swallowed, especially for little kids. Like, there's data showing around 28,000 kids under five in the U.S. accidentally drink petroleum distillates every year, and it causes a lot of poisoning deaths in that age group.

So yeah, keep it way up high or locked away. And if a kid does get into it, don't try to make them throw up—that can make them choke. Just call poison control immediately.

Some People's Skin Doesn't Love It

Most people get a little on their hands and it's whatever. But if it sits on skin for a while, some folks get irritated or their skin gets all dried out and rashy.

If there's gonna be a lot of hand contact—like scrubbing rust off something—gloves are probably smart. If it gets on skin, just wash it off with soap and water pretty soon. Usually that's the end of it. If not, maybe get it looked at.

Getting It in Your Eyes Sucks

Obviously getting any chemical in your eyes is bad. WD-40 will irritate them, make them red and watery. Safety glasses help if there's any chance of spray bouncing back.

If it happens, rinse with water right away and keep rinsing. Contact lens people should take them out after five minutes and keep going. If eyes are still bothering you after all that, go see someone.

It's Way More Flammable Than People Think

This is probably the biggest one. WD-40 is really flammable, especially that spray mist when it first comes out. Even the oily stuff left behind can ignite near hot engines, exhaust systems, any kind of flame.

Keep it away from heat, sparks, flames, all of it. Don't smoke around it. Don't use it near tools throwing sparks. Just keep fire and WD-40 far apart.

And if it does catch fire, water makes it worse since it's oil-based. Need a fire extinguisher or foam instead.

Cans Can Actually Blow Up

Sounds dramatic but it's real. If the can gets too hot, punctured, or near fire, it can explode. Like actually explode—fire, burns, can flying across the room.

The fumes can also creep along the ground to something hot and then race back to the can. Not good.

Keep it somewhere cool with airflow, not in direct sun, nowhere over 120 degrees. Also—and this one's weird—away from electricity. Electricity can apparently burn through the can and light everything up. So unplug stuff before spraying nearby, and don't let it touch batteries or electrical connections.

Bottom Line

WD-40's useful, no question. But it's still a chemical and deserves some basic respect. Use it where air can move, keep kids away from it, wear protection when it makes sense, store it right. Do that and there probably won't be any problems. But if there are, at least now you know what to do.