Stop using WD-40 on your wiper blades. Use this instead. – Jalopnik

The internet is full of videos offering free car maintenance advice, and a lot of it is worth exactly what it costs. While some of your favorite car videos on the Internet are entertaining or useful, others are fake, making it difficult to decide which content to believe.

In addition to the wildly inaccurate car maintenance advice on the Internet, there are still a lot of wild myths surrounding cars. Sometimes these things are initiated by people trying to justify a promotion or sell something to the public, while other people are just trying to save some money by making a part last longer on a regular product. Using WD-40 on windshield wiper blades in an attempt to clean, protect, and repair them likely falls into the latter category.

The logic behind this practice, which is often encouraged online, is understandable. As a water-displacing lubricant, using WD-40 appears to be an acceptable product to clean and protect the rubber compounds that make up many windshield wiper blades. In reality, though, you’re probably better off with a synthetic-based lube.

No, the formula used in WD-40 was invented to prevent rockets from rusting, and is not ideal for use on rubber windshield wiper blades because it contains petroleum distillates. In most applications involving rubber, the use of petroleum-based lubricants or cleaners is not recommended as they can cause the rubber to swell or dry out. Soap and water can be useful for cleaning rubber wiper blades, but when used alone the results are often inconsistent.

A better option to clean and protect your wiper blades is a silicone-based lubricant such as WD-40 Specialist silicone. If your wiper blades show signs of wear, such as cracks or missing parts, it is best to replace them. If they are very dirty, it is not a bad idea to start the process by cleaning them with soap and water. After checking that the wiper blades are clean, dry and in good condition, maintain them by spraying the silicone spray on a clean, soft cloth and wiping the rubber parts of the blades. Make sure you use a good amount of spray so that the liquid from the cloth transfers to the wiper blade, and keep your wiper arm up while you clean the rubber parts.

While your wiper arms are up, it’s a good time to thoroughly clean your windshield. Using freshly cleaned wiper blades on a dirty windshield defeats the purpose of maintaining it. Again, you can start with soap and water to remove heavy dirt, but for best results you should use a suitable, ammonia-free glass cleaning solution.