Ah January, we’re glad you’re over at last. We’ve been paid after what feels like MONTHS, the nights are slowly getting lighter and there’s actually been some lovely sunny blue days. Well, there have up here!
No snow, but those bright blue days have brought with them minus figures at night that lead to super frosty cars in the morning.
Chatting with the Boss Lady the other day, we were lamenting the hassle of putting your coat on, defrosting your car, not leaving it running (illegal on a public road but not on your drive, however there’s still a chance of theft and it’s definitely not good for the environment or your house if you’ve reversed in!), back in the house to finish getting ready….sigh.
One person said they had no de-icer or scapers so used their gym card to get the frost off (we do NOT recommend this, it can damage your glass. And your gym card!). Another caused a collective sharp intake of breath as they mentioned ‘the kettle’. Noooooooo! Hot water + cold glass could = disaster!
So how do you deal with it? Some cars have a nice heated windscreen and that really helps defrost things quickly. But if yours hasn’t and you didn’t plan ahead and get de-icer there are some tricks to help you.
🚗 You could try a saltwater mix and spray that on. We don’t advocate doing this all of the time as excessive salt use can lead to damage but as a one off to get you on the road it will do the job.
🚗 You can also do 3 parts vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle too.
DO check your wipers – they might be stuck down and when you go to use them it could burn out your motor or wreck your blades. Unnecessary cost for the sake of 10 minutes!
Remember, the Highway code stipulates you must not drive a vehicle when you can’t see out of EVERY window. The number of times I spot someone driving along with a round bit in the windscreen and every other window still covered in frost…blows my mind. And if you have an accident like this, your fault or not, your insurance might not pay out.
TIP! Defrost your lights too! Again, if someone can’t see you because your lights are frosted over, an insurance company could view that you are at fault.
Now, you’ve defrosted your windows, you can see out of all of them and you set off. Ten minutes down the road you realise it’s getting a bit mucky, pull the lever to release your screen wash to wash off the dirt and…..nothing! And the automatic wiping that occurs after you’ve pulled that lever leaves smudges all over your screen. PULL OVER! Get out of traffic as soon as you can. There’s not much you can you do other than clean your screen and wait for the reservoir to defrost.
So with all this in mind, here’s what you could do to prepare your car for the frosty (and potentially snowy) weather over winter.
🚗 Buy De-icer and a scraper (we’ve got loads of both in all three branches!)
🚗 Find a windscreen washer fluid that contains anti-freeze OR make a higher concentration of fluid to put in your car. Ready made screenwash is fine for the summer but you’d be better off with a higher concentrate in the winter
🚗 Wipe your windscreen and windows with a vinegar/water mix to help prevent frost (won’t stop it completely but will make it easier to scrape)
🚗 Pop some cardboard under your wipers to stop them sticking to the screen
CLEAR ALL OF YOUR WINDOWS BEFORE YOU SET OFF. Take a scraper and de-icer with you. Keep water in the car.
Safe winter driving all! 🚗
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