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Having to de-ice car windows early in the morning is one of the less popular things to do in winter. If you don’t have a garage, however, you will hardly be able to avoid de-icing. However, there are a few tricks that can make the job easier for you.
Defrosting car windows: These are your options
It’s very tempting, but you should still refrain from de-icing just a small peephole quickly in winter before you drive off.
- If you get caught, you could be fined.
- You are required to de-ice both the windscreen and the side windows before driving off.
- You could be in even more trouble if you get into an accident with iced-up windows.
Quick and easy to de-ice your car windows
If you pay attention to a few things in advance, it will make de-icing easier for you later.
- If you park your car on your own property, it is worth investing a few euros in a good thermal windscreen protector. The windscreen protector usually effectively prevents the car windows from icing up. All you have to do is take the windscreen protector off in the evening and remove it quickly in the morning.
- If you also put a so-called half-garage over it, you minimise the risk of standing in front of icy windows in the morning and do not have to go to the trouble of clearing your car of snow.
- With the help of so-called de-icer sprays, you can free your car windows from the layer of ice relatively quickly. Simply spray it on, wait a short moment and then quickly remove the thawed ice. This method of de-icing is quite convenient, but relatively expensive in the long run, because only good de-icer sprays are actually effective.
- It is cheaper to mix an effective de-icer spray yourself. To do this, you only need antifreeze for the windscreen washer system. Mix the antifreeze with water in a 2:1 ratio. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and your de-icer spray is ready.
- An old trick to de-ice the windscreen more easily is to use a hot water bottle, or better two hot water bottles. Put on hot water before breakfast. Fill the hot water into the hot water bottles and place the hot water bottles on the dashboard of your car. Caution: Make absolutely sure that the hot water bottles do not touch the car windows. After breakfast, about 30 minutes later, the car windows will at least be thawed enough so that scraping off the ice is no longer quite so laborious.
- The modern version of the hot water bottle is called a parking heater. However, you don’t necessarily have to retrofit a parking heater. There are also much cheaper mobile interior heaters for the car. However, you should not go for the cheapest model, as these usually do not work very efficiently and the risk of fire cannot be completely ruled out. Make absolutely sure that the parking heater has automatic overheating protection and the right power for the size of your car.
- You’ll have to reckon on around eighty euros for the luxury, but for that it’s also the much more comfortable option and if you have a long, very cold winter you’ll love the parking heater. In addition, such a parking heater usually lasts several winters and then the purchase price is quickly amortised.
- Tip: It is also important, and not only in winter, to do something about the moisture in the car.
