WITH winter well and truly here, motorists are being offered expert advice on how to clear their windscreen and avoid a fine and possible penalty points on their licence.
The car leasing experts at LeaseCar.uk have provided their top tips for effectively clearing windows and windscreens on a freezing cold morning.
A spokesperson for LeaseCar.uk said: “Trying to scrape the windscreen of a vehicle on a cold and frosty morning can be a huge inconvenience especially before setting off to work or school. Every year it is almost guaranteed that drivers will use their credit card or an old CD to clear the snow from their cars, but this can cause lasting damage to a vehicle.
Making sure the windscreen is covered with tarp or some sort of sheet can help to ease the ice build up. And there are a number of homemade solutions that can be made that act as a great alternative to de-icer.”
When rushing to get to work in the morning, it’s easy to reach for the nearest flat object – like a bank card or CD – to scrape the ice off, but using anything other than a car ice scraper could lead to a severely scratched windscreen. Keep a made-for-purpose ice scraper on hand and use short, powerful strokes to chip the ice away.
A salt water solution will dissolve the ice with a chemical reaction rather than melting it with heat. The ions in salt also lower the freezing point of water, making it difficult for it to refreeze. Apply the solution sparingly, as heavy application could damage the glass.
If you spray an iced windshield with a mixture of water and vinegar, while the mixture will not melt ice, it can help ice from forming in the first place if you spray your windshield with it the night before.
Onions have a similar effect on windscreens as vinegar does. If there is nothing but this root vegetable left in the house, then rub generously on the windows and windshield the night before and this should keep Jack Frost at bay.
Arguably the most expensive way of clearing a frosty windscreen, but the alcohol content in vodka means that it makes for a great de-icer in freezing temperatures.
If your car has a ‘defrost’ setting on the temperature gauge, switch it on. It could take around fifteen minutes for the glass to get warm on the inside and melt the ice on your windscreen. It’s important to avoid leaving a vehicle to defrost whilst the engine is idling. This can incur a £20 fine.
Not only does a small peephole through the ice make it difficult to drive but it can also get motorists into a lot of trouble. Make sure to clear the whole windscreen as well as the car’s mirrors before setting off on a journey. If not drivers could risk getting a £60 fine or a possible three penalty points.
Although boiling water may seem like the quickest method to clear a windscreen in a rush it can cause the glass to crack due to thermal shock because of the sudden temperature change.
Although there are many great homemade alternatives, nothing quite beats the convenience of the real deal. De-icers are available from most petrol stations and can really reduce the stress on a cold morning.
Keeping the car in a garage overnight can prevent frost from building up on the windscreen. Motorists without access to a garage or storage unit can use a tarp, newspapers, or an old bedsheet to prevent the build up of frost on the windscreen.
