Driving with an icy windshield is incredibly dangerous — it’s never worth the risk. But scraping ice is a workout, and idling the car until it melts adds minutes to your commute.
Instead of fighting the frost every morning, try taking preemptive measures the night before. Here’s a simple hack to prevent ice from forming on your car’s windshield overnight. Best of all, it requires only a few supplies you probably already have lying around.
Spray, Don’t Scrape
For this hack, you can choose between two homemade solutions. The first combines one part water with two parts 70% isopropyl alcohol and a few drops of dish soap. Alternatively, you can use three parts distilled white vinegar to one part water. In either case, combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and you’ll be good to go.
When temperatures are expected to dip below freezing, head out to your car before bed and spray a thin, even layer of this mixture over your entire windshield. The solution’s chemical makeup prevents ice from forming, leaving you with a clear view the next morning.
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Your “Plan B” Options
Let’s say you forgot to prep the windshield and a layer of ice has already formed. Fret not — you can still use these mixtures to weaken the frost and speed up the melting process. Spray the solution onto an icy windshield, wait about a minute, and use an ice scraper. You’ll find the ice comes off with relative ease.
Another effective and reusable — albeit slightly pricier — option is a fabric frost protector. These covers are easy to apply and remove, plus they fold up neatly when not in use. Just secure the cover before a freeze or snowfall, and you won’t have to worry about removing any ice or snow the next morning.
