How to Prevent Ice on Your Car’s Windscreen

A cold and brisk winter morning can be a beautiful thing unless you have to get into your car early in the morning and drive off right away. Frozen car windows and even ice on the inside of your windscreen can quickly throw off your morning schedule. Here we’ll tell you how to get rid of ice on your windscreen and be able to drive off safely even in the iciest and snowiest winter.

How to prevent ice on the windscreen overnight

If you want to keep car windows frost-free, you can buy car defroster or make it yourself. For the latter, get an empty spray bottle and put into it either a 3:1 vinegar/water mixture, a 2:1 alcohol/water mixture, or a mixture of 1 litre of water and two tsp of salt. Make sure to boil this for at least 20 minutes and let the solution cool down completely before you use it.

Make sure to keep the spray bottle indoors. If you store it in the car, its temperature will also drop and the solution will not be as effective. Apply the mixture to all car windows every night and you will find an ice-free windscreen in the morning because the solutions have a lower freezing temperature than water and therefore only freeze at much lower temperatures. However, if temperatures fall below this threshold, you will need to take other measures to keep your windscreen frost-free.

How to remove ice from the inside of the windscreen

Many drivers wonder what causes ice on the inside of their windscreen. The answer is moisture. If you notice that your car keeps freezing from the inside, check whether all possible openings of your car are closed. Normally, a car is well sealed so that no moisture can get in. If you suspect that there is a leak but you cannot find it, visit a workshop and possibly get a new car windscreen. If this is the case, your mechanic will also need some car window glass adhesive. However, it may also be that you have brought moisture into the car yourself so be sure to keep your shoes and clothes as dry as possible. To prevent condensation

while driving, you can also turn on the air conditioning for a few minutes and turn the temperature setting to warm. This creates a dry heat that reduces humidity. Car carpets absorb moisture and condensation forms on the windows if they dry slowly. Another way moisture can get into your car could be a window that is not fully closed. Therefore, always make sure that windows and doors are properly closed.

Caution when scraping

The only thing that helps on the side windows is scraping.ar ice scrapers C made of sturdy plastic have certainly proven their worth. Metal blades, on the other hand, can quickly scratch the windscreen so use caution if you decide on one. Break up thicker ice first with the grooved side of the ice scraper, then push it away at a slight angle with the smooth edge. If you have a long-style scraper, this can reduce the pressure on the ice. Scraping from the edge to the centre of the pane avoids damage to the rubber seals and working from the top to the bottom makes the job easier.

How to prevent ice in the first place

If you cover the windscreen with a sturdy film in the evening, you will have an easier time in the morning. If you don’t have special mats for this purpose, a cut-open rubbish bag will also do nicely. The covering must fit against the glass and be clamped tightly with the doors. Keep a close eye on the temperature because if it drops to around zero degrees, rainwater could run into the vehicle. Paper or cardboard is not suitable for covering as they can soften and freeze to the windscreen.