Your windshield wipers are an important part of your vehicle. They are responsible for not only getting rain off of the windshield, but clearing it of any dirt or debris that could obscure your vision. Maintain them well, and they will continue to do a great job at keeping you safe. Fail to maintain them, and they can leave your windshield a streaky, smeared mess. Here, we will examine how to properly maintain your windshield wipers so that they always do a great job and keep your windshield clear.
Instantly Get Up to 3 Local Windshield Replacement Quotes
Keep Them Clean
One of the best ways to maintain your windshield wiper blades is to keep your windshield and your blades clean. Washing the windshield every time you fill your gas tank will get rid of debris that can build up and damage the rubber on your wiper blades. Speaking of that little rubber squeegee, it should be wiped frequently to get rid of loose dirt and even airborne oil particles that tend to adhere to the rubber. The cleaner you keep your blades, the longer they will last.
Winter Tips
Knowing how to take care of your windshield wiper blades in winter will certainly help you better maintain them and will help them last longer. One very important step is to keep your blades pulled away from the windshield when your vehicle is not in use. This will keep ice from building up on the rubber squeegee and will help keep your wiper blades from sticking to the windshield, which can be very damaging. Avoiding ice buildup on your wiper blades is very important for longevity, and this simple step can greatly increase their life.
Of course, this isn’t the only winter tip that can help you improve the life of your wiper blades. Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid the temptation to use your wiper blades to help get rid of ice on the windshield. Even when it has started to melt, ice is very abrasive and can do serious damage to your wiper blades. Getting outside with a scraper can be cold and uncomfortable, but it can do much to preserve the life of your windshield wiper blades. Another alternative is simply to brush off any loose snow or ice and to wait for the defroster to melt the ice on the windshield.
Know When to Replace Them
Your windshield wipers should be replaced every six months to one year. Fortunately, they will start to give you signs when they are ready to be replaced. A windshield wiper blade in need of replacement might squeak or chatter every time it moves across the windshield, resulting in an audible (and annoying) sound. They might skip across the windshield, making contact only at certain points, or they might split or streak, leaving water, snow, dirt, and debris on your windshield even when you use windshield washer fluid and put them on full speed. If your blades are showing any of these signs, it is time to replace them with new ones.
A Final Word
Maintaining your windshield wiper blades isn’t difficult. In fact, there are surprisingly few steps to take. All you really need to do is keep your wiper blades clean and try to prevent ruining your wipers by scraping them on dirt or ice when it is not necessary. The tips offered here should be more than enough to get you on the road to longer lasting windshield wiper blades, and you will find that proper maintenance will not only mean less replacement, but it will also offer you greater visibility!
