Prestone Windshield De-Icer and Fluid Booster review

There once was a time when my handy ice scraper was a cassette tape holder.

Yes siree, I cleared a lot of windows with that clear plastic box that once held my copy of Def Leppard Hysteria.

You would think I would have gotten myself a real, honest to goodness ice scraper with the harsh bristle brush on the other end, but you would be wrong. I was 18. I had far more important things to think about than the condition of my 1981 Chevy Monte Carlo's windows. I'm sure my parents bought me one, or five, but they never managed to stay in my car. Funny how that happens. Maybe it was my subconscious reinforcing my hatred for scraping icy windows.

But that was a long time ago. I don't drive a 1981 Chevy Monte Carlo anymore - thank the Lawd - and I am much more concerned with the condition of my car windows. Especially when I'm carrying precious cargo. Like my two year old daughter.

However, I still hate scraping. I hate it with a passion and will avoid it at all costs.

Living in New England makes clearing a windshield of ice and snow a necessity, so what is a woman like myself, a woman who has only parted with her cassette tape covers very recently, to do?

Prestone to the rescue!

I received the Prestone Windshield De-Icer and the Prestone Windshield Fluid Booster to try out through the Parent Bloggers Network. Once I got my hands on the De-Icer with its handy, built-in scraper I knew it would be true love. A spray-on, (from their website) "concentrated high performance ice-melting formula that melts ice fast and helps reduce dangerous refreeze"? Sounds right up my alley.

Then the weather wouldn't cooperate. No ice to be seen. Lots of snow and slush, but no need to physically scrape. My husband had a chance to use it once and was very happy with the results, but it's still sitting in my car just begging for an icy windshield to clear. And it will. Oh yes, it will. That will never leave my car, unlike the amazing disappearing 99 cent plastic ice scrapers my parents kept putting in my Christmas stockings.

I have had the opportunity to use the Windshield Fluid Booster and I'm pleased to say my windshield has stayed amazingly clear even with all the nasty, dirty slush that gets kicked up into my field of vision. Come to think of it, the Fluid Booster is supposed to help keep ice from refreezing on car windshields while you're driving. Maybe that's why I haven't had to clear as many windows as usual? Hmm...



It takes a bit of chemistry to make these products work so I don't think you could ever call the Windshield Fluid Booster or the Windshield De-Icer "green" or eco-friendly. If you're trying to help the environment but you still want to be able to see through car's windshield even in bad weather, these Prestone products should be used sparingly. But they work so well, why would you need to over use them?

Would I recommend Prestone Windshield Fluid Booster and/or De-Icer to my friends? Maybe not to my extreme, tree-hugging friends but to the people in my life who just want a safe drive on a tough New England winter day, absolutely.

You'll still need an ice scraper in your car, though. It's hard to clear a windshield with an iPod.

Be prepared - the Sequoia Car Surival Kit

I will admit, we don't get many natural disasters up here in ol' New England. We may get the occasional hurricane or ground rumbler, which technically qualifies as a earthquake, but that's usually the worst of it. Okay, in my early teens we had a nasty tornado come through a neighboring town that almost completely leveled a residential street, but that was the worst catastrophe of the kind I can think of.

No, up here we get snow, lots of snow. There was this little, teensy storm back in '78 that closed down the entire region for a week and though that was a strange fluke of nature anything is possible in New England. Anything.

So, yes, it's good to be prepared. Maybe not to the point where you make your husband go out to buy bottled water and canned goods - ahem - but it's never a bad thing to have cans of baked beans in your pantry. You know, just in case.

The Car Survival kit by Sequoia has exceeded my expectations in the preparedness department. It's packed tighter than Scarlet O'hara in her corset, which is to say a little too tightly for me (a little room for extras would be nice), but overall it's chock full of useful things.

I squealed like a little girl when I saw crank light/radio with cell phone charger (I loves me my gadgets) and the 151 piece first aid kit. There were also ready to eat meals (MREs) and packaged water that will last for a few years. There's even a multi-function hardware tool and leather work gloves in there. The more things my husband and I pulled out the more thrilled we were with this small, easy to stow kit.

The Sequoia Car Survival kit is very well thought out and it had just about everything I would need if, heaven forbid, I were trapped in my car during a snow storm - which, let's face it, is entirely possible in Massachusetts - like thermal emergency blankets and hand warmers, rain ponchos and waterproof and windproof matches.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I was most thrilled by the playing cards included in the kit. In times of hardship you have to have something to alleviate the boredom and tediousness and keep your mind off of what's going on around you. They really thought of everything!

I did mention that the kit is packed very tightly. With help from my husband, the master packer, we managed to get everything back into the bag, but barely. I would have liked a bit more room to pack a few things like a couple of diapers and wipes, a small package of dog food, and maybe some extra socks. But all in all, it was hard to find fault with the Sequoia Car Survival kit.

Would I recommend it to my friends? Absolutely! Well done, Sequoia. You've taken some of the pressure to prepare off of my shoulders and helped ease this mama's mind.

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This was a review for the Parent Bloggers Network.