How to Prevent an Icy Windshield With A Simple Hack?
July 17, 2019
source: Toronto Star
If you live somewhere in the world that sees cold, snowy winters, you probably already have your snow shovel on the front porch and your snow brush in the trunk of your car. Snow is more or less manageable, but it’s ice that can be difficult to deal with. If you keep your car outside, you’re probably familiar with waking up to a windshield that’s completely iced over in the morning. Your windshield wipers are frozen to the glass, and you have to spend a whole lot of time chipping at the ice with the end of your car’s snow brush. And it certainly isn’t fun!
You’ve probably seen photos floating around the internet stating that spraying a mixture of vinegar and water on your frozen windshield will melt the ice. This information is not true; once your windshield is frozen, few solutions will melt the ice quickly. However, applying a mixture of vinegar and water to your windshield before it’s frozen over can prevent ice from forming in the first place. Here’s what you need to do.
Mix together three parts of distilled vinegar with one part of water. Dip a sponge or cloth in the solution, then apply it to your windshield before it freezes over. This will prevent the ice from forming and building up on your windshield during a cold, snowy night or a spell of freezing rain. Although some people have expressed concern that vinegar eats pits into windshield glass, the consensus seems to be that it isn’t potent enough to do your windshield any damage. Vinegar is often sold in glass bottles, after all.
Although this hack won’t eliminate ice once it’s already formed, it can help prevent layers of ice from forming on your windshield. When it comes to harsh winters, I’ll entertain any hack that can make them more bearable!