although we do not have a miracle cure either. but our tips are easy and inexpensive to implement, so you can start the day stress-free even without frost protection for your car, garage or carport.
how to prevent frozen car windows?
It’s an early winter morning – you want to drive off in your car. Then you see: ice on the windshield. A scenario that every driver is sure to be familiar with. Basically, you have two options during the cold months: either you take precautions to prevent the car windows from freezing up. Or you use car de-icer in the morning. We have tips and tricks for both options that will make the winter months easier for you.
Prevent ice on the windshield overnight
If you want to keep car windows frost-free, you can buy car de-icer or make it yourself. For the latter, get an empty spray bottle and fill it with one of the following mixtures:
- vinegar solution: three parts vinegar, one part water
- Alcohol solution: two parts high percentage alcohol, one part water
- Salt solution: four cups of distilled water and two teaspoons of non-iodized salt, boiled for 20 minutes
please keep the spray bottle with the mixture in the house. If you store them in the car, their temperature will also drop – the solution will not be as effective. Apply the mixture to all car windows every night and you will find an ice-free windshield in the morning. Why is that? The solutions have a lower freezing temperature than water and therefore will only freeze at much lower temperatures. However, if temperatures fall below this threshold, you will need to take other measures to keep your windshield frost-free.
Expert tip:
never use boiling water on cold car windows! Glass is very sensitive to sudden temperature changes. If you splash hot water on cold glass, it will most likely crack.
If temperatures drop below the freezing point of our inexpensive deicer and you don’t have a windshield cover handy, you can alternatively use a towel, piece of carpet, cardboard or even a shower curtain to protect your windshield from freezing.
Another trick is to park in the right direction: stand so that your car windshield faces east – that’s where the sun rises. Especially if you don’t have to leave before sunrise and there is nothing blocking the sun, you can de-ice your car naturally.
But what about your side mirrors and windshield wiper blades? Put a freezer bag or plastic bag over your side mirror and secure the bag with a rubber band or clothespins. In this way, only the bag will freeze. You can wipe the windshield wiper blades with a soft cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol (or one of our mixtures) to prevent them from sticking to your windshield.
If you do not have a special windshield wiper fluid for colder seasons, you can also remedy the situation here. Add five tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to your wiper fluid tank to prevent the fluid from freezing in the car. You can also use this mixture as a car de-icer. Simply activate the wiper fluid – and your windshield will be clear again in no time at all.
How to de-ice car windows in the morning?
If you don’t mind removing the ice from the windshield in the morning, you can use your homemade deicing solutions. Spray it on the windshield and peel it off with a squeegee or wipe the windshield with a soft brush. alternatively let the windshield wipers run.