“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.”

This campaign has offered several bloggers not only the opportunity to try out two Prestone winter car care products, but also a chance to admit to their past winter car care faux pas - like scraping the windshield with a cassette tape case.

(I’ve done that too.)

Our reviewers live in cold weather states like Minnesota and Massachusetts - places where even if you have an enclosed garage, you’re still affected by the weather. As one Iowan put it: “…sometimes bad weather develops in the time frame during which one is at the grocery store and you come outside and your car is suddenly covered with a layer of ice and snow.”

But with Prestone products in hand, the bad weather wasn’t quite as daunting: “…the weather took a nasty turn last week, complete with snow, ice and some seriously cold temps, like -25 with windchill. Uggh! But not so uggh! as normal because these Prestone products really work! And I’m not using that exclamation mark haphazardly.”

The Prestone Windshield Fluid Booster was a big hit, not just helping reduce ice, but all other sorts of road grime too. One blogger noted: “I added the Windshield Fluid Booster last week, and although we didn’t have tons of ice build-up during this last week, I did notice a marked improvement in the dirt and salt build-up.” Another raved: “So while the rest of my van is covered in salt and residue and who knows what, my windshields are clean with a nice sparkle.”

Plus, it doesn’t freeze - neither in the fluid reservoir under the hood, nor when sprayed on the windshield. One blogger explained: “Have you ever sprayed your washer fluid only to find that your visibility is even worse than it was before because the fluid has frozen on your windshield? The Washer Fluid Booster keeps that from happening.” Another lamented that “…my wiper fluid continues to freeze up, no matter what we put in there. (Including fluids that claim to be for the arctic tundra.)” But since adding Prestone Windshield Fluid Booster, she was “thrilled to report that it has not frozen.”

Yet another blogger had been complaining regularly to her husband that she needed new wiper blades. She added the Prestone Windshield Fluid Booster and immediately stopped complaining because her windshield now stayed clear: “Ice no longer clung to glass and blade with its evil skeleton claws. In fact, hardly anything stuck to the windshield. Even the salt-rain just beaded up for easy wipe-away. Since I knew for a fact that it wasn’t the winter conditions that had changed, I had to give credit to Prestone for this new visibility.”

But it was the Prestone Windshield De-Icer that really impressed the bloggers: “It immediately melts the ice to the point that I was just able to use my windshield wipers to clear away the water. That made me love the product right there. However, there’s one other really important feature: it helps prevent re-freezing. After my initial spray, I didn’t have any problems with the liquid re-freezing like I have had in the past after scraping my car.” Another blogger enthused: “I am never, and I mean NEVER, going to be without a can of this in my van in the winter…It’s a miracle in a can, is what it is.”

Even a few spouses got a chance to try out the De-Icer. One is a volunteer firefighter who needs to be ready to go at a moment’s notice, and he was quite pleased with its performance: “The spray was pretty well enough to get my windshield clear, there’s very little scraping necessary. The solvent itself melts away the ice fast. I cleared everything to see out safely and made the fire call and was on a rolling truck out of the station in very little time.”

One blogger did note: “My only complaint is that the De-Icer does smell. That’s not surprising because it is a chemical formula. That being said, once I was inside the car after having used the De-Icer spray, I couldn’t smell it.” And others reminded their readers that these products should be used with caution: “…these products - like all de-icers - contain toxic chemicals (methyl alcohol and ethylene glycol), so use them sparingly and with the utmost care.”

Yet that wouldn’t keep them from recommending these products - the advantages are far too significant: “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.”

Winter’s not over yet; many areas of the country are still likely to see another storm or two before the daffodils bloom. It’s not too late to try out these Prestone winter car care products for yourself!