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For most of us it’s a great dream to go and retire by the sea. The attractions are abundant and powerful. Amongst them – unrivalled views, fresh air & lots of social, cultural & outdoor amenities.

However, on the downside, there are also strong salt laden winds which destroy grass, kill off many other garden plants, cause corrosion on cars and anything else made from metal, abrade paintwork and generally provide a quite efficient, source of abrasive material which penetrates any moving parts.

Additionally there are the high levels of ozone which are great for purifying the air, but unfortunately, they also attack any rubber seals around the home or vehicles.

And finally, because the sand, rocks and water at the sea are many times more reflective than many inland or city surfaces, they don’t absorb so much of the ultra violet light which is present naturally in daylight. Therefore, there’s a much higher level of ultra violet light by the sea.

Now, ultra violet light in small regular exposures is actually advantageous to our health, as with ozone, there’s nothing it appears to like better than attacking any natural rubber parts it can sniff out.

Overall this makes clear why rubber Windscreen wiper blades have an even shorter working life than normal when they’re used on a vehicle which lives at the sea. The salt particles grind the rubber and act as grinding particles between the wiper blade and the windscreen. The ozone assails the rubber 24 hours a day, whether the Wiper blades are being used or not, indeed, whether the vehicle is being driven or not. This attack causes the rubber to turn brittle, and its structure to break down. Finally the higher levels of Ultra Violet light also attack the rubber and intensify its stiffening & break down.

Because of the above I always recommend Silicone Windscreen Wiper Blades to anybody living or regularly visiting the seaside, especially people with boats or other interests that take them into closer contact with salt water & sea air. Silicone Windscreen Wiper Blades are totally unaffected by salt, ultra violet and ozone, as well as atmospheric pollution and many solvents contained in cleaning products.

A silicone blade in a traditional wiper blade goes a long way to avoiding the problems caused by life by the sea. However, classic Wiper blades have a metal frame with joints which are also prone to attack by the salt, causing rapid wear and corrosion of the joints. Therefore the ultimate Wiper blades for use near the sea would be silicone Flatblade Wipers, which brings together a one piece jointless frame and a long life silicone blade.