Cleaning wiper blades with vinegar

by **Kimosabe** » Fri May 24, 2013 11:41 am

Here's a tip that could save you money.

I noticed that although my blades are only a few months old, that they were not cleaning my screen properly. They are far from perished and were not juddering when used, so I poured some vinegar onto a cloth and rubbed the cloth on my blades until virtually all the black rubber and deposited gunk had been removed. Voila! Spanking new blades.

Not so sure I'd add it to my screen washer fluid bottle though as it could damage bodywork.

Hope this helps.

by **GJD** » Fri May 24, 2013 12:12 pm

Kimosabe wrote:I noticed that although my blades are only a few months old, that they were not cleaning my screen properly. They are far from perished and were not juddering when used, so I poured some vinegar onto a cloth and rubbed the cloth on my blades until virtually all the black rubber and deposited gunk had been removed. Voila! Spanking new blades.

I've come across that tip before. But how long did it take you?

Whenever I've tried to clean wiper blades, by the time my patience has expired the cloth isn't coming out any less black after each wipe than when I started.

by **michael769** » Fri May 24, 2013 1:33 pm

Isopropyl alcohol does the same - and much faster! It does not harm bodywork either.

by **Kimosabe** » Fri May 24, 2013 7:35 pm

GJD wrote:
Kimosabe wrote:I noticed that although my blades are only a few months old, that they were not cleaning my screen properly. They are far from perished and were not juddering when used, so I poured some vinegar onto a cloth and rubbed the cloth on my blades until virtually all the black rubber and deposited gunk had been removed. Voila! Spanking new blades.

I've come across that tip before. But how long did it take you?

Whenever I've tried to clean wiper blades, by the time my patience has expired the cloth isn't coming out any less black after each wipe than when I started.

I've known about it for years but thought I would wait for the right moment to tell the world. :twisted:

Bet you haven't tried the Yoghurt on your headlights trick yet either.

A really hairy, German, hippie earth-woman told me about the vinegar thing some years ago. She insisted on joining me in a plunge pool which had been created by a hot springs waterfall that gushed from a fissure in a cliff face in the Pyrenees, near the not-so-mystical Rennes le Chateau. (http://www.languedocfrance.com/rennes-les-bains/) As i'm sure you'll agree, I think this level of detail is vitally important when discussing such things. :arrow:

I'll be over there if you need me.

by **Horse** » Fri May 24, 2013 11:06 pm

The I egar cod be useful in winter counteracting salt effects.

by **martine** » Sat May 25, 2013 8:00 am

Horse wrote:The I egar cod be useful in winter counteracting salt effects.

by **Kimosabe** » Sat May 25, 2013 8:48 am

Horse wrote:The I egar cod be useful in winter counteracting salt effects.

I read that immediately as 'the vinegar could be..." Great thing about dyslexia is that nothing makes much sense at first

(you should see what happens when I'm reading Roadcraft)

Does Isopropyl alcohol negatively affect rubber, paint and plastics? I would have thought that it does!

by **Horse** » Sat May 25, 2013 9:23 am

Posting on the phone

by **michael769** » Sat May 25, 2013 4:52 pm

Kimosabe wrote:Does Isopropyl alcohol negatively affect rubber, paint and plastics? I would have thought that it does!

No it is not hamrmful to paints or rubber.

As to plastic? The word plastic refers to thousands of chemically different substances so the general answer is maybe.

The specific answer? ABS (the type of plastic used in cars) is not affected by it.

It is the main constituent of winter scenwash for a reason!

by **Silk** » Sat May 25, 2013 5:29 pm

michael769 wrote:The specific answer? ABS (the type of plastic used in cars) is not affected by it.

Does that mean my car has plastic brakes? This is worrying. :shock:

I have some of Maplin's finest IPA, so I'm going to give it a try now (on the wiper blades that is).

by **michael769** » Sat May 25, 2013 6:53 pm

Silk wrote:
michael769 wrote:The specific answer? ABS (the type of plastic used in cars) is not affected by it.

Does that mean my car has plastic brakes? This is worrying.

.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitr ... ne_styrene

by **Kimosabe** » Sat May 25, 2013 8:59 pm

Right now listen ere you lot!

... hold on, I forgot what I was going to write...

Plastic brakes you say? Where's the Capt. Jean-Luc Picard face-palm emoticon when you need it?

by **Mr Cholmondeley-Warner** » Sat May 25, 2013 9:09 pm

Silk wrote:I have some of Maplin's finest IPA...

Haven't heard of that, where's the brewery?

by **fungus** » Sat May 25, 2013 9:16 pm

Maplins. Isn't that a holiday camp?

Wouldn't waste good beer on my wipers. By the way, does the ABV affect the result?

Cleaning wiper blades with vinegar

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