Windshield Wipers: Seeing Clearly

A Brief History of the Windshield Wiper

Mary put in a patent at the Patent Office that same year for the first windshield wiper that was controlled inside the car. Mary started production of her window cleaning device but her business failed and though Mary’s patent did come through another man’s patent ended up being patented first. This man’s device was virtually the same but different enough for both of them to get two different patents. This is why Mary isn't credited with inventing the first window cleaning device and did not see a penny from her invention. Mary Anderson recently became recognized as the original creator of the windshield wiper as more people consider how women have played a part in American history.

Modern Windshield Wipers

Today, we take automated windshield wipers for granted. We all know that when we drive it’s important to be able to see well. That means keeping our windshield glass clean. If you’ve ever driven your vehicle directly into the bright sun you know how dirty your window glass can get. It gets scratched, fogged up, and full of bugs this can render you almost completely blind as you drive.

Maximizing Visibility 

So, how do we maximize our visibility? Let's start with clean windows. Don’t use cleaners that have ammonia or alcohol in them. Ammonia can cause your car's interior to dry out and can damage window tints. Abrasives can scratch glass and permanently damage it, a microfiber cloth is what the pros recommend. Make sure you don’t forget to clean the inside of your windshield. Fingerprints and dirt especially if you smoke, can accumulate on the inside of your windshield and make it difficult to see.

Three Types of Wiper Blades YOU Can Get

Now that you have your windshields clean there are several kinds of windshield blades to choose from, Beam blades , Conventional blades, and Hybrid blades.  You can always move up from your owner’s manual recommended blade to a Hybrid or Beam but don’t move down to a Conventional blade unless this is what is recommended in the owner’s manual.