Winter is one of the most feared times for drivers, especially for those who do not have a parking space, and have to leave their cars in the middle of the street. At that time, the main enemies are the rains and snowfalls, the strong winds and, in particular, the so dreaded frost that the windshield and other windows of the car are covered with ice.
Here we are going to tell you The best tricks to prevent ice from accumulating on the windshield. You will see that it is a much better idea than fighting with the frost every morning, before you can start the march. And if the damage is already done, in the end we will tell you how to eliminate it in the best possible way and without taking longer than necessary.
Blanket, cardboard or windshield protector
We start with the most effective system to prevent ice from forming on the windshield. Is about place a protector on top of the glass, which prevents the formation of dew or the accumulation of snow. A blanket or cardboard are very effective, but you must place it between the wiper blades and the windshield, so that they are as much in contact with the glass as possible. In addition, they will serve to hold it and prevent it from blowing away in the wind. If you can, try to catch what you use with the side windows to give it more support.
Also exist specific windscreen protectorsThey don't cost a lot of money and do their job very well. those of DTNO.I, ezlife and , they are fine and their price is below 16 euros. When you choose one, you better decide on one including covers for the mirrors. So you don't have to scrape ice off them or clean them before you get going, causing possible damage if they are electrochromic.
Vinegar
An old trick, probably unknown to the vast majority, has vinegar as its protagonist. this substance not only useful in car cleaning, because just by preparing at home a small solution of water and vinegar, and spray it after having parked it, a good anti-frost effect is achieved.
It works thanks to the fact that vinegar has a very acidic pH, which helps prevent water from accumulating as ice on various surfaces. Including glass and crystal.
In any case, do not expect miracles because it is not as effective as covering the glass with a protector. The reason is that the movie you create with vinegar can be washed off very easily by rain or snow. So it is effective mainly if the weather is cold, but dry enough.
Since you can't reliably know what will happen during the night, it is better that you go for this option. if you don't have a protector at hand windshield, cardboard, or an old blanket you don't mind using. It is also an acceptable method if your car has a roof or anything that will protect it from inclement weather that will take the vinegar out of it.
Rub a potato on the windshield
Finally, we recommend that rub a halved potato on the windshield. Again, chemistry works in our favor with this method, which also prevents ice from forming on the windshield. If you use this system or the vinegar system, remember that it will only be effective if it does not rain or snow to such an extent that the protective layer is removed.
You should also not forget that the front windows must also be clean of ice or snow before starting. Therefore, it is better that you apply the potato or vinegar trick, even if you use a windshield protector. These do not usually protect the side windows from frost.
What if there is already ice on my windshield?
If the damage is already done, it's time to get down to work to get rid of the ice. A task that can be very complicated if the temperature is very low and the layer of frost is very thick. The best you can have for this circumstance is a plastic scraper such as RevHeads, Omission, gafild or the like. Although if you don't have one, you can try using an old CD sleeve or another object made of hard plastic, like a card.
If you can't remove the ice easily with that, you can apply other tricks first to help you get out of the jam. For example, engine antifreeze or alcohol. Combinations of one and the other mixed with water are also often used, to take some of the hardness out of the ice before scraping.
As we do not recommend is that you try to remove the ice from the windshield with hot or lukewarm water. A sudden change in temperature would cause the glass to break and, even if it didn't, its integrity could be compromised in such a way that it becomes less resistant. It is also not recommended to use salt to try to thin the ice, because it is only effective in preventing further freezing, not in removing ice that has already been created.
Picture 3 – Bradley Gordon