If like us, you’re frustrated at the arduous task of de-icing your windscreen during these winter mornings, listen up. Here’s an expert list of dos and don’ts when it comes to defrosting your car. Many thought they had seen the back of the extreme weather of December but it’s important to remember… We live in Britain, and it’s January. With frosty mornings going nowhere fast, drivers are having to face a winter panic as they rush to clear their windscreens before work every day. To help you get the job done efficiently and, more importantly, with safety in mind, roadside assistance and breakdown insurance company RAC has released its tips for de-icing your car in the morning to help you avoid a fine for driving without properly clearing all your windows. Now this might be exactly the reason you’ve stumbled upon this video but the harsh truth is - the more time you leave yourself to de-ice your windscreen, the more successful the job will be and the lower the risk of driving with obstructed mirrors. By giving yourself at least 10 minutes, you can thoroughly use a de-icer or scraper to clear the windscreen. When you get to your ice block of a car in the morning, having a handy bottle of de-icer wll be a saviour. Firstly squirt a generous amount of liquid on the outside of the screen and then proceed to use an appropriate scraper (not a bank card, key etc) to clear ice crystals and excess water. You might have seen it on Tik Tok or may just think it sounds like a plausible idea, trust us… it’s not. To avoid the thermal shock that can lead a windshield to crack, it’s much better to use the trusty combination of a scraper and de-icer. A new trend has emerged online of people putting warm water in a ziplock bag and lightly pressing and rubbing it across their windscreen. If you are set on doing this, avoid using water from the kettle and go for warm water instead. As many can attest from personal experience, this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make if you want to preserve the clarity of your windscreen. Instead, use your heater to demist the inside of your windscreen. To clear a misty windscreen caused by hot, wet air, start your heater off cold and then slowly increase the temperature. This is the most effective way to de-mist your frozen car in the morning. If you’ve sorted your windscreen, don’t drive off until you’ve also checked your rear, side, and door mirrors too. It is illegal to drive with poor visibility and you’re never just dependent on your windscreen. To minimise a frozen windscreen, plan ahead by buying a windscreen cover and place on your car the night before. It’s easy to think it’s just the glass on your windscreen that gets frozen but your windscreen wipers are prone to a bit of frosty too. Try to refrain from using the wipers until you’ve de-iced the windscreen or else you risk damaging them or burning out the wiper motor.
