There is nothing worse than being in a rush in the morning and coming outside to find your car is riddled with ice. Drivers all across the UK have been experiencing ice and snow on their vehicles this week as temperatures have dropped to sub zero.
Most commonly, people will reach for scrapers and deicers to clear their car windscreens, but these can leave you waiting for up to 15 minutes before the ice fully clears, which isn’t ideal if you have somewhere to be.
Drivers are now being told of six household items that they can use to help defrost their car quickly and easily during these cold winter mornings – with common things like salt and lemon that are said to work a treat.
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Motoring experts have now shared their tips for removing ice quickly as well as some tricks to prevent it from building up. They advise rubbing half of an onion or a potato onto windshields the night before to stop ice from sticking to the car.
John Wilmot, CEO of LeaseLoco.com said: “Temperatures are dropping this January which means we’ll be waking up to cold weather and frosty cars more often.
“We can all agree that deicing the car in the morning is one of the worst tasks. It’s a tedious job that feels like it takes forever but it’s so important to wait until your windows are fully defrosted before you set off.
“Ice scrapers and deicers can leave you waiting for as long as around 15 minutes before your car clears up, which is a pain when you’re in a rush.
“We’ve pulled together some quick and helpful ways to deice the car using some items people should already have in their home like salt, onions and sandwich bags.”
There are quicker ways to de ice your car than using a scraper -Credit:Getty Images
Here are six household items that can help de-ice cars quickly:
Onions
The best way to avoid the hassle of de-icing your car is to prevent the ice from becoming a problem in the first place. During the evening, chop a brown onion in half and rub it over your car windows. This should help prevent a thick layer of ice from being able to stick. The same can be done with potatoes as they contain glycerol which is also found in wind screen washers.
Saltwater solution
Mix together salt and water in a spray bottle and stir until the salt is fully dissolved and keep it handy on cold days. When mixed together, salt and water can generate heat and lower the freezing point of water. De-icing salt is the most effective for this but table salt can work too. Simply spray the solution on your windows.
Lemons
The citric acid in lemons can be used to break down ice. Simply squeeze half a lemon on to icy windows and rinse away with a small amount of tepid water.
Vinegar solution
Mix together vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it on your car in the evening. The acidity in the vinegar will lower the freezing point of water and should prevent a build up of ice.
Sandwich bags
This viral TikTok hack can be a great way to remove ice from your windows in just seconds. Simply fill a sandwich bag with lukewarm water and drag it across the windows to help melt the ice.
Cover the windshield with a beach towel
Put your summer beach towels to use this winter by using them as a sheet over your windshield to prevent ice from forming. At night, cover the windshield with the towel and secure the top two corners in the driver and passenger doors to help save you time in the morning.