Simple trick from the 1980s helps you (still) defrost your car window faster
How to save time on those cold winter mornings by getting your vehicle road-ready as quickly as possible.
As we all know, many parts of the United States are going through an especially harsh winter this year, as evidenced by historic snow storms in the southern part of the country, as well as higher than normal electricity bills.
An added inconvenience of the wintry weather is the time it can take to defrost your car windshield and windows, especially if you have an older vehicle, which can add minutes you just don’t have onto your morning routine. Luckily, there is a way you can speed the process up, and there’s no cost or newfangled technology involved.
How your sun visor can help defrost your car
Top Gear fans have shared stories of how they’ve been swiftly getting their cars road-ready using their vehicle’s sun visor since the 1980s.
It may not immediately appear obvious how, but when you turn on your heating to blow on the windshield, lowering the sun visor helps to trap the warm air against the windshield rather than blasting it into a cold car, making it work more quickly.
Of course, many newer cars have heated windshields, while some hybrids and electric vehicles heat themselves up before you even get in, so this hack is aimed at those who haven’t splashed out on a new car for a while.
More tips to get your car road-ready in the winter
Everybody can benefit from other top tips, however. Remove thin layers of ice (it is unlikely to work on thicker ones) from your windows by pouring warm water from on them from a resealable plastic bag, which will save you considerable scraping. Beware, though! Use warm and not hot water, which could crack the glass.
Additionally, cleaning your windows in anticipation of a freeze can help reduce the impact of the cold. A little soap and water is all that’s needed, with grease-free windows much less likely to fog up or freeze on the inside.
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