The Best Way to Clean & Renew Windscreen Wipers

• Tips/Guides-Tips/Guides

If your wiper blades are not doing their job, first check for damage. If there are cracks, chips, or splits, then unfortunately you'll need to replace the blades. But if they are just streaking or making noises, then all it takes is to clean the build-up dirt and grime.

Why bother to keep wiper blades clean?

Quiet, smooth wiper blades that keep your windscreen clean is often overlooked but is critical to safe driving.

Tar, sap, grease, bird droppings, insects and a plethora of unwanted substances accumulate on windshield wipers. It's important to keep the blades clean for several reasons:

• Dirty wiper blades will smear dirt and hamper visibility
• The build-up of grime can damage the blades
• Dried dirt can scratch and damage your windscreen

How to restore wiper blades and make them last longer

* IPA is 91% alcohol and rubbing alcohol is no more than 72%. Clean with IPA and disinfect with rubbing alcohol.

** Breaks down grease and oil to a certain degree, and adds back some.

Method:

• Cleaning the wipers
  1. Grease, oil, and other grimy substances are the most common causes of streaking. Rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol is an effective cleaner to remove this grime.
  2. Lift the windscreen wipers from the glass and into position.
  3. Apply some rubbing alcohol onto the microfibre cloth.
  4. Pinch the blade, wipe up and down from one end to the other as often as it takes until you see no more gunk on the cloth.
• Clean the windshield
  1. Spray the glass cleaner on the windscreen.
  2. Buff with waffle-weave microfibre cloth to achieve a streak-free shine.
• Lubricate the hinges
  1. Spray WD40 into the hinges.
  2. Swing the blade backwards and forwards to allow the WD40 to penetrate into the nook and crannies of the hinges.

Tip: Make sure that the wiper blade is at a perfect 90° angle to the glass surface. To correct, twist the wiper arm gently to align at the correct angle.

Maintenance is key

Over time, the rubber blades will eventually wear out. Ultraviolet radiation is the main culprit, so to prevent them becoming hard and brittle prematurely, try to keep park in the shade whenever possible. However, regular cleaning and inspection of your wiper blades will help increase their lifespan and give you many more years of good use.

Learn more about windscreen wiper blade maintenance checks and tips on how to use them properly.

When your wiper blades have finally reached the end of their life, visit your nearest Supa Quick store for a replacement where we stock Bosch quality wiper blades. Bosch offers a range of windshield wiper blades engineered for extreme all-weather performance to ensure visibility no matter the weather condition.

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