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Winter is coming. And as I don't want to spend time defrosting my cars windshield I would like to know:

How can I keep it from icing over every night? I have tried the de ice spray but it is too expensive for me.

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  • do you mean due to dew falling on the windshield or serious ice sheets due to overfreezing rain?
    – Angelo Fuchs
    Commented Dec 10, 2014 at 11:20
  • Mainly frozen dew, but it won't hurt to know about the rain thing.
    – Dawnkeeper
    Commented Dec 10, 2014 at 12:08
  • Dawnkeeper, please see meta.lifehacks.stackexchange.com/q/1217/59 -- this site is different from many sites in the SE network, and continues to change. You might want to voice opinions in Meta, where they'll be more visible. ( cc @J.Musser )
    – Shokhet
    Commented Dec 15, 2014 at 23:46
  • See mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/39253/…
    – Hobbes
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 16:11

9 Answers 9

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That's the dew freezing on. If you throw a waterproof cover over the windshield, hardly any dew will accumulate, and the problem will be mostly nil. The closer the cover hugs it the better.

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11

Cover your windshield with aluminium:

Aluminium foil

Applied on a windshield, your car will look like this:

Aluminium applied

It will prevent any dew freezing on in most scenarios (it won't work against heavy snowfall and blizzards, naturally).

However, even if a lot of snows falls on top of it, removing the cover will still take care of most of the freezing.

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3

If you leave your car uncovered outside in freezing rain, it will ice up just like everything else. Sorry, but the only solution there is to cover it.

For snow however, you can greatly reduce and in some cases eliminate ice build-up by just making sure your windshield is cold before allowing any snow to fall on it. Ideally, this means parking your car and letting it cool for a few hours before the snow starts falling, but if it's cold enough outside you can speed this up by turning off the heat and opening your windows for the last part of the drive home. You'll still end up with some heating from the engine, unfortunately. Also, make sure you have a good hat with you.

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  • This doesn't really answer the question -- I believe the issue the OP is trying to deal with is the glass freezing over on a regular night -- not necessarily where there is rain or snow. As per the other answers here, the issue appears to be because of dew.
    – Shokhet
    Commented Dec 9, 2014 at 22:23
  • 1
    Dew? Shucks, just run the defroster while the car warms up then. I thought we were talking about thick ice such as you might otherwise have to chip away.
    – William the Pleaser
    Commented Dec 9, 2014 at 22:26
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While I am not sure how well this will work with icing problems, try a product called glass wax. It is good for keeping moisture and bugs from sticking to the window, and may just be effective enough to make your problem bearable.

A mixture of water and vinegar is supposed to remove ice and prevent ice from forming. see How to remove ice from windshield for more.

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1
  • We call it Rain-X here
    – bigbadmouse
    Commented Dec 11, 2019 at 13:50
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Using a waterproof cover is your only foolproof solution.

I have had (partial) luck with spraying wiper fluid last thing before leaving the car. Less dew sticks, and the few pieces just wipe away in the morning.

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2

The best solution is to get the car into a garage or carport if possible. Surprised no one has mentioned that so far. Some sort of roof over the car is really helpful.

If not those are available, then natural shelter like large trees could be helpful, in addition to covering the windshield like described in other answers. I've also seen cars parked next to ventilation or air condition vents to re-use the warmer air, but you got to have some luck for that to be available.

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I've never done this, but I'd like to suggest an idea I just had:

Cut four 1" slits in the corners of an electric heating pad, then slip in four neodymium magnets that have velcro dot stickers (into each individual slit) and adhere to the inside of the pad lining. Then individually stick the---now---magnetic corners to the window within the vehicle to four other matching neodymium magnets on the outside of the window, and connect this to an extension cord.

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-1

Just cover your front windshield with a rubber bottomed bathroom mat/rug...its not perfect but it should help out in the mornings.

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-1

Keep a blowdryer and extension cord around. Blowdryers work well for getting doors unstuck and locks unfrozen too.

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2
  • This may solve the problem, but it does it very slowly, and at the risk of cracking your windscreen. It takes a lot of energy to melt ice.
    – Hobbes
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 9:30
  • I've never had to blow-dry a windshield for a long period of time ( if used in tandem with defrosting, you will melt the ice in a few minutes to the point where even the thickest sheet of ice just slides off), and I've never experienced a cracked windshield from this. Most cars made in the US in the 21st century don't have windshields that crack easily due to temp changes... In that case we would all be in trouble for defrosting ours. Thanks for the downvote though!
    – user25770
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 15:29

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