In very cold seasons, one of the main problems that we can find is the ice formation on the windshield. When this happens, the daily routine of going to work or any other destination becomes a fight against the frost that is not always easy.
Therefore, here we are going to tell you how to remove ice from windshield, to make it an easy and fast operation. Always without damaging the glass or the plastics that surround it and without spending more time than necessary.
scratch the ice
We have all seen those little spatulas or scrapers with which to manually scratch the glass. If we do not have one, we can also use other plastic objects such as a CD or a card of a certain thickness. Any hard plastic object with an appropriate border can serve for this task. But hey, you should never use a metal utensil if you don't want to scratch the windshield.
Whenever you do, move the scraper from the edge in. If you do it the other way around you can damage the side rubbers of the windshield. Something that is very easy to happen because with the ice it is easy for the hand to go beyond what was thought. Scrape the ice off the half of the glass that's closest to you, then go to the other side of the car to scrape off the other half. Then remove the ice from the center if there are remains.
windshield de-icer
There are times when the ice layer is usually quite thick and the "little tricks" do not work, so one option is to buy some kind of special product to combat and thaw ice. There are numerous sprays on the market designed for this function. Of course, some are a bit expensive. those of ma-fra y sisbrill are good options, although there are more brands that make good quality deicer.
Alcohol
The properties of alcohol help lower the melting point of water and, therefore, make it thaw faster. If we don't find a very dense ice, spray the glass with a little ethyl alcohol of the one found in any pharmacy, can be of help.
If you try to remove the ice with alcohol, make sure it doesn't fall into the engine through the slots or who touches the rubber bands. This way you will avoid possible deterioration of plastic or sensitive parts of your car.
Antifreeze
Another useful trick to remove ice from the windshield is take a bit of antifreeze. As its name suggests, it prevents our engine coolant from freezing when the temperature is below 0º, so it is also very useful in these cases.
As with alcohol it is better that it does not touch plastics or that it enters the engine compartment. So be careful when you pour it in that it only touches the glass you want to remove the ice from.
Engine and ventilation system
There are people who try to remove or soften the ice with start the engine, turn the heater on high and try to direct the airflow towards the windshield. However, this is not useful for these cases, whether the air is cold or hot.
If you don't wait for the engine to get hot enough, the air won't be able to disturb the ice on the other side of the glass. And if the air is already hot because the engine has been running for a while, you can break or damage the glass due to the change in temperature. That is why it is better that you use any of the methods mentioned above.
If you don't want to have to remove ice from the windshield every morning, We recommend that you take a look at the article Tips to prevent your car windows from freezing during winter. As they say: prevention is better than cure.
What not to do to remove ice from the windshield
Remember that on this topic there are also some Myths that if we put them into practice they can make us regret it, since we may have bigger problems than the simple fact of having our windshield covered with frost. We talk about methods like pour hot or warm water on the moon. This technique can be disastrous since, as we mentioned before, strong differences in temperature are fatal and the only thing that results is a more than certain breakage on the glass.
Another mistake is rub the glass with salt. Although we are used to seeing roads bathed in salt, this is because they prevent the water from freezing, but they do not quickly undo what is already frozen. Also, they can scratch the surface and corrode the plates.
For a few years now, the so-called heated windshield. They are made up of small, practically invisible threads that are inserted between the different sheets that make up the piece of the windshield. act as a heat source, heating the glass on its entire surface. These threads distribute heat evenly, thus avoiding drastic changes in temperature and, consequently, fractures. Many brands already mount this system, such as Ford, which is one of the pioneers.
Do not hesitate to put into practice all these tricks and tips that we have exposed, since perfect visibility is crucial when driving and avoiding accidents.