Cold Morning Tips: How To Safely Clear Your Window Screen

How To Defrost Your Car Windows Quickly And Safely

Winter is coming, and based on reports it's going to be a cold one!

As temperatures are already dropping, get ready for the dreaded morning routine of thawing your car before you can drive off to work. We look at some of the best tips to defrost your window quickly and safely!

Tips

• Use a scraper, be careful to hold the scraper at an angle and to not scratch or damage your glass. If the ice is too thick for this to be effective, try combining it with some other options below.
• Use a card if you don’t have a scraper in a pinch. Make sure to choose a more disposable card though, such as a loyalty card. Do not risk bending your credit card or drivers licence!
•  Use a de-icer, available in aerosol or spray forms, leave the spray to sink into the ice for a couple minutes before you go in with a scraper and it should be a lot easier.
• Use your car heater, turn the heating up all of the way, and aim the fans at your windows. This will start the ice defrosting from the inside and will really help when you come to scrape it off!
• Lukewarm water, use the water to soften up the ice as you scrape at it. Be careful to only use lukewarm water and not hot.
• A solution of rubbing alcohol and water, one part water to two parts alcohol is supposed to clear the ice right up!

What Not To Do

•  Do not use boiling water! It is tempting to want to get rid of the ice as soon as possible, but boiling water will cause the glass to change temperatures dramatically which causes cracks or weakness in the glass.
• Don’t use anything sharp. Don’t chip away at the ice with a sharp object, this will chip or scratch your glass.
• Do not drive, this seems obvious but do not start driving and hope the glass will clear up quickly. This is not only dangerous but it’s against the law.
• Don’t leave your car running as you go inside, there are reports every year of people getting their cars stolen as they were inside waiting for them to heat up.

Prevention

To prevent ice build-up try using something to cover your windows at night to reduce the amount of ice on there by the morning. You can get tarps or window covers, but even a folded sheet will help. Getting a ‘night before de-icer’ is also a good option, spray it on the windows as you park up for the night and in the morning you will have less or no ice! Or try getting a de-icer for your window cleaning solution, to similar effects, this should help prevent the ice building up. They coat the window in a film and help prevent the ice sticking. 

January News

January has been a nightmare for drivers thanks to the devastating snow and ice, grinding the UK to a halt. With stories emerging that temperatures hit -16 in parts of Scotland, we have certainly learned the weather is a harsh mistress and that in the UK, we are poorly prepared!

Drivers were stuck in their cars for hours at a time and we happily echo advice issued by the emergency services – only make essential journeys in your car in such extreme weather conditions. We would also say that if such weather is predicted, carry a ‘survival pack’ in the boot of your car consisting of the following items if at all possible:

• A large bottle of water
• A flask containing a hot beverage
• A reflective jacket or reflective strips that can be placed on your person should you be required to leave your car
• Blankets
• Snacks to keep you going just in case you are stuck for hours
• Fully charged mobile phone so you can inform loved ones that you are safe

This isn’t an exhaustive list but it should be a good starting point for those anticipating being caught in extreme weather conditions. Before making the essential journeys, check the met office website and the highways agency.Also, see our Ezine article about how to start your car on a cold morning.

Moving on to this month’s driving news, the snow affected the millions of UK drivers although many hit the news as gritting vehicles were slow to respond to key areas. However, one story that made headlines that will cause many to scratch their heads in confusion is the two men who drove their Peugeot down a frozen canal – before plunging through the ice.

Cheating death after the Peugeot car broke through the ice, the two men who were inside the car when it plunged into the freezing water were branded by the police as ‘stupid’, although we suspect stronger words were used down at the station.

The thoughtless duo drove half a mile down the frozen canal before the inevitable happened. Police tracked them down and charged them with reckless conduct. With the emergency services struggling to attend genuine accidents and emergencies at this difficult time, this was clearly a poorly thought out plan and the thrill seekers aged 22 and 24 will find out their fate when they attend Livingston Sherriff Court next month for sentencing.  

Also in the news...
Children’s cartoon Peppa Pig was embroiled in a safety row – because parents raised concerns over the fact that when the cartoon pig was in a car she did not wear a seatbelt.

One parents complained that her daughter had refused to wear a seatbelt because Peppa didn’t. We think that this is ridiculous and blame this on bad parenting rather than Peppa Pig. If I had said this to my mother when I was a child, I would have been punished for being so silly! Cartoon characters are not role models and any parents should be stronger when dealing with a petulant child.

However, to be seen as taking these complaints seriously, the creators of the Bafta Award winning cartoon aimed at children aged two and above admitted that they were “naive” when they began making Peppa Pig. Future episodes of the cartoon will feature Peppa wearing a seatbelt. Another win for the overbearing parents involved it seems.

This is brought to you by Megavaux, supplier of Vauxhall Van Parts