Emma Miller
It’s a winter morning, it’s freezing outside, you’re in a hurry as always, you run out of the house – and there’s an icy car waiting for you in the yard. And you start a set of measures called “defrost before you’re late.” But no matter what you do, you won’t get anywhere until you defrost the window in the car. There are different ways to get rid of windshield icing, but not all of them are good.
The first rule of thumb for experienced drivers: you must clean your windshield from ice in a nonviolent manner.
How to warm your windshield with a heater – method 1.
The first thing that comes to mind is to start and warm up the car. If your car has electric window heating, it will defrost in a couple of minutes. If not – turn on the heater and “On Glass” blowing mode. The glass will gradually warm up and the ice will melt.
If the car has an automatic climate-control system, it switches the fan on full and directs the whole air stream to the windshield.
Advice: do not use these “wipers”, which are likely to be frozen to the glass – you can burn the fuse, “wipers” is better to turn off immediately. And do not drive the wipers as soon as the glass began to thaw – you just instantly ruin the rubber on the “wipers. Defrosted ice itself will gradually slide off the windshield.
How to remove ice from car windshields with washer or alcohol – Method 2
You can clean the windshield from the ice with a special agent for removing ice, which is effective at -25 ° C. But as we mentioned earlier, you should not use “wipers” frozen to the glass. Therefore we advise you to pour the de-icing agent not only into the washer but also into a regular sprayer: while the car is warming up and defrosting the glass from the inside, spray the liquid on the windshield from the street.
If there is no special liquid against icing – take alcohol, even medical alcohol will do. It should also be sprayed on the windshield, it will accelerate the defrosting process.
How to get rid of windshield icing with a blanket – method 3
Windshield icing can be prevented and then do not bother with its cleaning. Just cover the glass in the evening with a special cover, and if there is no such, you can take a thin tarpaulin, an old blanket, or a woolen blanket.
And in order for the glass not to freeze “wipers” experienced motorists are advised to insert matchboxes between them and the glass and then cover the glass. In the morning remove the coating, take the boxes out, warm the car – and go.
How not to remove ice from a windshield
There are several ways to clean your windshield from icing that quite a few drivers use. But our advice is this:
- Don’t use a windshield scraper
A windshield scraper is good for cleaning side and rear windows, but it’s best not to clean the windshield with it. The windshield is made of laminated glass, a tough material but easily scratched.
- Don’t use vinegar
You often see advice to spray a mixture of vinegar and water on your windshield in the evening to prevent it from freezing. We advise against this: keep in mind that vinegar is an acid, and if it gets on the paint surface, it can ruin it.
- No hot water
Never pour hot water on your windshield from the outside, as the temperature shock will cause cracks in the glass.
