HARTFORD, Conn. — Permatex has unveiled its new Permatex Wiper Restore, a treatment for wiper blades that is designed to revitalize wiper blade rubber to extend blade life and improve overall wiper performance.

Permatex Wiper Restore’s water-based, silicone emulsion formula features a special surfactant that aids in cleaning, softening and conditioning the wiper blade rubber to make it more pliable. This increases wiper flexibility and helps to minimize chatter, streaking and skipping, the company says. Permatex Wiper Restore works on both old and new blades, and saves on the high cost of blade replacement, according to Permatex.

According to Andrew Charleston, senior product manager at Permatex, Permatex Wiper Restore’s innovative formula offers cost-conscious consumers an excellent alternative to expensive wiper blade replacement.

"Wiper blade prices have gone up dramatically in recent years, reaching upward of $25 to $30 each, especially the new technology ‘beam-style’ blades found on most new cars. When your wiper goes bad, you can’t replace the rubber portion. You have to buy the complete assembly. It could be very costly to replace both front blades and the rear blade, if the vehicle has one," Charleston noted.

Permatex Wiper Restore is alcohol- and petroleum-free and will not deteriorate the blade rubber, according to the company it comes in a specially designed, single-use, 1.25 g pouch, which makes application easy and mess-free. All the customer needs to do is simply peel back the pouch to reveal the specially treated towelette, apply the treatment to the blade rubber and wipe dry. Each pouch provides enough conditioner for treating up to three blades.

At the point of sale, Permatex Wiper Restore comes in a versatile display box that dispenses 48 pouches and can be hung, binned or displayed freestanding. The individual pouches can be displayed on a peg hook for easy add-on sales opportunities, the company says.