How many times have you walked outside during Winter only to find your windshield covered in ice? Nothing is worse than standing in the freezing cold trying to remove snow and ice from your windshield! And unless you are lucky enough to park in a garage, you probably spend way too much time trying to clear your windshield. Below are 3 simple ways to de-ice your windshield, along with what not to do!
1. Cover it up
While cover’s are not 100% effective, they do work well to keep out the majority of the ice and snow, therefore saving you a lot of time and effort. When you get home the night before, take a large piece of cardboard, a sheet or an extra large towel and cover your entire windshield. Make sure whatever you use is not too heavy as some thicker covers can set off alarms in new cars. Use the windshield wipers to hold it in place at the bottom, and use a weight of some sort to hold it in place at the top. In the morning all you have to do is simply remove the cover and your windshield will be practically ice-free! There may still be a thin layer of frost, but nothing that your defroster can’t take care of in just a few short minutes!
2. Commercial Deicers
Every auto store has a shelf or two dedicated to deicers and ice preventers. If you opt for an ice preventer, make sure you spray it on the night before. If any ice does accumulate, it is usually just a small amount that can easily be removed. If you get a deicer, you will use that in the morning. Start your car and put on the defroster. Remove all the extra snow, if there is any, and spray the remaining ice with the solution. Scrape a little and then run your wiper to get rid of the rest.
As far as homemade deicers, while they can save you money, you need to be careful. This is because most are made with either alcohol, salt or ice. With frequent use, over time, these can all cause damage to your car’s exterior over time including the glass, paint and chrome.
For more simple ways to de-ice your windshield, click HERE.
Image courtesy Leslie Fryer via Flickr