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Winter in Alaska where we live can be so harsh! No matter where you live, though, scraping ice off of your car in the early morning is just no one's idea of fun. This is the BEST WAY to keep your windshield frost free.
Wipe the windows and windshield of your vehicle down with white vinegar, undiluted, after you park your car for the night. This will prevent frost from building on your car, and who doesn't LOVE that?
By Brianna Southworth from Dutch Harbor, Alaska
As a former resident of both Fairbanks, and Anchorage, I can attest that this works. Some other hints are: Never set the emergency brake when it is below freezing, never bend any metal that is already bent as it will snap off, and if you can plug in your car, do it.
Those in Alaska know a thing or two about cold weather! The shot is Laird Hot Springs in the Yukon Territory. The water is about 103 degrees in the summer and about 89-95 in the winter. This shot is from a day that was about -50.
Use an old set of car floor mats to cover your car's windshield in the evening and you won't have any ice to scrape in the morning. Carpet remnants also work.
With winter bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain, if you have to park outside in the weather, here is a tip that will save lots of time and frustration. When you are ready to park your car for the night, take a few minutes to take a couple pieces of cardboard and slip them under your windshield wipers so that they are held securely and cover your windshield.
You will be so happy in the morning to just slide them off the windshield and have clear vision with no scraping and defrosting. You may even have time for a second cup of coffee before you head out the door for work.If you go to the fabric store (to the clear plastic section used for tablecloths, etc), get a piece that will cover your windshield and add about 30 inches.
What you will do is open your car door, put in the end of the plastic and close the door. Take the remaining long end of the plastic and run it across the windshield and under the wipers to the other side, open the passenger door and insert the other end.
Doing this keeps the plastic in place in high winds and your windshield free of ice and snow.
When it comes time to drive you just have to open the doors, shake off the snow and ice and roll it all up and put in a grocery bag (I have made a little draw bag to put the rolled up plastic in out of scrap material).
I gave as gifts to family, friends and co-workers at holiday time.
They loved them! :)
Hope someone can use this info.
There is an easy and cheap way to make sure you don't end up with iced over windows every morning on your car. Vinegar! Just fill a spray bottle 3/4 of the way with vinegar and the rest with room temp water.
When the temperature is going to go down below freezing, spray a 3 to 1 solution of water and vinegar on your vehicle's windows. It keeps them ice proof.
Take a pair of old socks and keep over your wipers. Then if it snows or rains the ice won't get stuck on them.
Living in a very cold climate I found this to be a very useful tool for winter days. Purchase a gallon jug of the re-fill windshield washer fluid and fill a small spray bottle with the liquid.
Here is a tip for anyone that lives in a snowy area. Sometimes we get so much snow that besides having to dig out the car to get it on the street, our cars look like they are wearing big white hats.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How does it work when spraying vinegar and water on car windows to prevent icing?
By Marion
I have heard that often. I would try not to get it on the paint though. Vinegar seems to oxidize or ruin a paint job but it is an excellent window cleaner. I am a great big fan of vinegar!
The recipe is three parts of vinegar to one part of water. It is necessary to dilute the vinegar lest it harms your windshield wipers or the rubber around the windows. Spray the car whenever you park it outside.
Blessings, Robyn
Even better is a solution of Alcohol (50%) and water. I had the vinegar solution in my car because the inside windows would freeze, unfortunately, my vinegar and water solution did too after a few days.
Were do you store the vinegar? Can you keep the vinegar spray bottle in the car? Does it freeze? I park on the street and have a 1 year old, and MPLS gets very cold. I am hoping you say it doesn't freeze so I can keep it in my car! :-)
By Jamie
Regarding keeping the ice off of windshields and car windows, how often do you have to put vinegar on the windows and windshield? Thank you for your time.
By Kathy F from Hazelwood, MO
I use this vinegar idea with good success. In the winter, I keep a spray bottle filled with white vinegar and spray my windshield each evening. Hope this helps.
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I found a great use for those old flannel lined plastic tablecloths (although and unlined one or used shower curtain would probably work). I live in the Northeast and we have had a lot of snow recently. I have been following some snow-shields for the car's windshield on Ebay (because I could not find any in the stores at all) and they have been really expensive.
Clear plastic shower curtains are great. They made snow removal in Virginia super easy. Just cover the windshield top and back end of your vehicle and snow removal will take just a few minutes.
