Anyone that has ever owned a car has probably had a scratch on that car. The question is this: What do you do to fix the scratch? You could take it to a repair shop and potentially pay hundreds of dollars. You could purchase a scratch repair kit or a paint pen. You could also follow some remedies that involve sandpaper. But, if you don’t feel like dropping a ton of money for just a scratch, you could take a very simple, cheap and quick route to repair.

As the video below shows, a great way to take care of scratches is non-acetone nail polish remover. Nail polish remover already has so many applications in the home remedy department and now you can take that tiny bottle out to the garage!

We’ve seen great home remedies for fixing car dents with boiling water and how to fix a chip in your windshield. We’ve also seen ways to revamp your headlamps and restore interior plastic. Nail polish remover is just one more unexpected tool for the trade of easy do-it-yourself car repairs.

The most important thing to highlight here is that the nail polish needs to be non-acetone or it could end up removing more than just the scratches. It could remove the finish on your car.

Otherwise, you could try to avoid scratches altogether, but that would involve never taking your car to a parking lot or parking garage, never letting anyone borrow your car, and possibly never driving your car out of a protective glass case.

Cars.com has another more practical solution that shows how keeping your car clean prevents scratches. The basic premise is that the dirt living on your car can end up making scratches in swirl patterns. Simple steps like using two buckets (one for clean water, one for dirty water) can ensure you’re not grinding dirt into your car while you wash. Using wax, they say, can also help prevent scratches.

When prevention doesn’t help – especially for scratches beyond your control – don’t forget the non-acetone nail polish remover.