5 Clever Car Tricks for Frosty Mornings

Frost covered car windows has got to be one of the worst ways to start a day followed closely by a snow covered car.

Here are some of the most unexpected and helpful tricks to help survive those pesky frosty mornings.

Icy windscreens in the morning

Who likes scraping off ice - especially when you're in a hurry. Save yourself the trouble and rub a raw onion half on your windows and windscreens the night before a big freeze; this strange little car trick will keep frost from forming on the glass. Another way to avoid ice, cover your windscreen with rubber car or bath mats. Alternatively if you want to be normal simply use de-icer spray and an ice scrapper.

Wiper blades frozen to your windscreen

Soak a soft cloth with full-strength rubbing alcohol and wipe each blade. The alcohol will keep the blades from sticking to the window so they'll function properly even on the frostiest of mornings.

Car door lock covered in ice

One trick: heat your car key with a match or lighter, then gently push the heated key into the lock to melt the ice as you apply pressure. Another option is to take a regular drinking straw and blow directly onto the frozen lock. The heat from your breath should melt the ice in no time. Last but not least try rubbing your key or door handle with a squirt of hand sanitizer. The alcohol in the hand sanitizer will melt the ice and shortly allow you to unlock your car.

Foggy windscreens blocking your view

If you couldn’t be bothered rolling down your window and letting some fresh air in simply keep a chalkboard eraser (if you happen to have one) in your car. This apparently keeps windscreens clear without leaving a smudgy mess behind. Don’t leave water bottles or other drinks in your car because the water becomes frost on the inside windows of your car.

Icy side mirrors

To prevent ice from forming on side mirrors, cover them the night before with plastic bags secured with rubber bands or clothes-pegs. When you remove the bags in the morning, the mirrors will be ice-free.

---

Alex Todd Brand Manager at BoxyMo commented "Don’t drive off like a tank-commander, with a tiny hole cleared in the windscreen. Please clear all windows before you set off."

---

How NOT to De-ice Your Windscreen

• pouring boiling hot water over your cars windscreen in order to melt the ice is a method that most car owners think is effective. This does a number of things but doesn't help in the slightest when trying to de-ice a frozen windscreen
• using your car's heater, although unorthodox does de-ice your windscreen but it can be very time consuming and waste fuel. In addition to this it also wears out your engine and makes it harder for your car to start
• don't use credit cards or CD cases to scrape your window with; the sharp corners can scratch your windscreen and end up costing you more in repairing scratches