So last fall I put new door weatherstripping on. Over the winter I acquired some used hatch weatherstrip to see if that'll fix my hatch leak. Two questions:

1. The used used weatherstrip is older and dirty, still is plenty soft and not ripped anywhere that I can find. What is the best way to clean the dirt and crap off, don't want to use anything that'll possibly mess it up or dry it out
2. As it is used, is there anything I can put on it to lengthen its life? I've always put armor all on weatherstrip but heard it can dry it out, then was reading on line that it's water based so it won't, don't know what to believe. I'd also like to condition my door and t-top seals with something.

Oh, one more thing. This new weatherstrip is going on the car after it gets paint this spring, what do think of this windshield molding? It seems really cheap, but anything's better than the cracked and peeling junk I've got now...

 

I usually use silicone spray on my weatherstrip. It's about $4/can at AutoZone or Wal-Mart. I've used Armor-All before too and it seems to lube it up pretty good. I doubt it dries it out at all.