How to defrost your car windscreen quickly
Bundle up, it's going to be a chilly week. The Met Office has issued new weather warnings across the UK, with snow and ice expected to cause disruptions and injuries.
FREESOO Ice Windscreen Cover
BEEWAY Ice Scraper
Pingi Car and Home Dehumidifier
AA Winter Car Kit
Yellow weather warnings were already in place in parts of the north of England and the Scottish Highlands, but the Met Office has updated the warnings to cover much more of the UK, including the south of England and parts of Wales.
Some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times by road, bus or train services. The Met Office is also warning of icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, which could lead to injuries from slips and falls.
Some short-term loss of power and other services is also likely, the weather service said. Most of the warnings will remain in place until 12pm on Wednesday 20 November, when temperatures are expected to plummet to below 0C at the lowest.
In areas where snow and ice are likely to occur, many of us will turn to the trusty kettle and fling boiling water over the windshields of our cars in an effort to find a speedy solution to defrosting them.
But, turns out that’s not a great idea, as it could actually crack your screen. Ditto with using your credit card to be free of the frost. Hello scratched glass!
Oh, and certain aspects of de-icing could actually land you in trouble with the law.
Yep, those who head back inside to keep warm while their car is de-icing could actually be slapped with a fine.
That's because under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, unnecessary "engine idling" is illegal if your car is left on the street. Yikes!
But thankfully, there are ways to effectively, quickly (and legally) remove frost from your screen without causing damage or forking out for an expensive de-icer.
What you shouldn't do to de-ice your car
Use boiling water
Research by Halfords, which polled 1,600 motorists about their winter motoring habits, revealed a whopping half of all motorists have used a kettle of hot water to defrost their car windscreen.
But that could be a costly mistake as the sudden warmth hitting your windscreen in chilly temperatures could lead to the glass cracking.
Just leave it
Sure, it’s tempting to stick the heater on full and drive off hoping the screen will soon clear, but that’s a move that could land you in trouble.
According to the Highway Code, “windscreens and windows must be kept clean and free of obstructions to vision.”
During cold weather, this is particularly relevant and you must clear the ice (or snow) from all of your windows, as well as both the front and rear windscreen, before driving.
This is the same with clearing the condensation that forms inside the car.
The risk of not doing so is a potential £60 fine and three points on your licence for driving with limited vision.
Don’t be tempted to leave your car to defrost while you head back in the warm either as you’ll be risking a fine of £20 (or more if you don't pay it in time) and three penalty points for leaving your car to defrost while the engine is idling.
The law says if your car's engine is running, you need to be in control of it, which rules out you being in your house in the warm while your car ticks over outside.
And, of course, if you’re busy getting breakfast inside, your car could also be an easy target for thieves.
Stick on the heater and wait for it to clear
While ultimately effective, this is the least environmentally-friendly option thanks to the extra fuel you’ll use and the extra pollution you'll cause. Avoid for the sake of the planet.
Start the wipers
Tempting though it might be to speed the process along by using your wipers to help shift the ice, starting up wipers that are frozen to the windscreen or jammed by snow could cause damage to the mechanism.
Use a credit card
Halfords found that over a third (35%) of drivers have admitted to using a bank card to scrape ice from their windscreen. While it may seem like a good idea, using anything other than a proper ice-scraper risks scratching the glass.
Of course, it could also cause your precious card to snap too, rendering you card-less, and potentially therefore cash-less.
Effective (and safe) ways to de-ice your car - and keep it ice free
Use a windscreen scraper or de-icer
Both offer the easiest and safest method to free your car of frost.
Keep your car frost-free overnight
Want to avoid the morning frost-clearing rush? Try soaking an old towel in a solution of water and table salt and placing it over your car windows the night before.
It works because salt lowers the freezing point of water, which means moisture is prevented from frosting over on your screen.
Spray your car doors with cooking spray
Every part of your car’s exterior is liable to freeze and stick in place overnight. If you’re worried about your car doors jamming shut, the experts at Vehicle Contracts suggest spraying a simple cooking spray along the rubber edges of your car doors.
Wipe away the excess then close the doors and leave it overnight. In the morning, they should open easily (even if the rest of the car is icy).
Put socks on your windscreen wipers
If you’re parking outside during winter, you may find that your windscreen wipers can stick to the window.
Strange as it may sound, to stop this from happening, you can pop a pair of long socks on your windscreen wipers to stop snow and ice from collecting there.
"Remove them in the morning when you need your car then remember to put them on again before you leave your car for the night," adds Robert Harris, director at Vehicle Contracts.
Use hand sanitiser to defrost keys
In today's post-pandemic times everyone tends to still have hand sanitiser on them with COVID-19 and flu still circling, which makes this particular hack all the more convenient.
If you use a manual car key, it’s a common occurrence for the keyhole to freeze over making it impossible to turn the lock. If you break the key in the lock, replacement car keys cost up to £250, so it can be a costly issue to solve.
One of the key ingredients of hand sanitiser is alcohol, which will cause any ice to simply melt away. Cover your keys in hand sanitiser and it should glide in no problem.
Buys to help de-ice your car
Make mornings easier with this handy cover that prevents frost, snow and ice build-up on your windshield in the winter.
67% of shoppers have rated this five-stars. The ergonomic handle is contoured to fit comfortably in your hand and provide a secure grip, while the soft TPU blade efficiently removes water, frost, snow, and loose ice without causing any scratches on your car's surface or paintwork.
So long hard-to-see windscreens, as this handy dehumidifier absorbs and stores any excess moisture from the air, leading you with clear windows.
This winter kit helps you cope with many situations. Inside you'll find folding snow shovel, emergency foil blanket, LED torch and high visibility vest.
Read more about keeping warm this winter:
23 ways to stay warm without turning on the heating this winter (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
When should you put the heating on? Keeping your home warm on a budget this winter (Evening Standard, 2-min read)
Martin Lewis’ 4 tips for keeping warm without turning the heating on (The Independent, 2-min read)
