De-ICING HACKS!

Tips for defrosting your car!

If you can’t park your car in a garage during the frigid months and dread getting out in the morning to scraping windshields, The Paper of Montgomery County and the good folks at StressFreeCarRental.com have a few hacks for you!

First, be glad you live in Indiana. In some other states, motorists could face fines of up to $5,000 for leaving their car idling in Washington D.C. Indiana has no such idling laws at present . . . but you know how those hired hands in Indianapolis can be! As it stands right now, more than two dozen states, local counties and cities enforce laws which limit the amount of time a car can be left with the engine running.

States include Arizona, California, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Texas. A complete guide to idling laws for each state can be found at the American Transportation Research Institute.

Of course engines left running unnecessarily not only affect the bank account, but also have a negative impact on the environment, with claims as little as ten seconds of idle engine use wastes more fuel than restarting the engine. 

A spokesperson for StressFreeCarRental.com said: “As the months are turning even colder, car owners are finding themselves having to wake up earlier than normal in order to factor in time to de-ice their cars. With the possibility drivers leaving their car engines idle could face fines, it is now even more important to remind motorists that there are other handy tips and tricks to get rid of the frost.”

So – The Paper and StressFreeCarRental.com offer these hacks! Either way, keep those mittens handy!

Warm water and a scraper

The key to this method is to ensure the water used is not boiling. If the water is too hot, it could cause a crack in the windscreen or cause further damage to any unnoticed small cracks already present. Once warm water is poured over the windscreen, the ice will have turned to slush which can be scraped away.

No scraper? No problem

Motorists who find themselves with a frozen windscreen and no scraper can use other household items such as a debit card, an old CD case, a ruler or even a spatula!

Adding alcohol

For those extra frosty mornings when warm water alone doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, motorists should add ⅔ rubbing alcohol to ⅓ water to a spray bottle and spritz over the windscreen. This creates an ice-busting solution to cut through the build up.

Prevent the ice forming

Savvy motorists looking to save themselves time and effort on frosty mornings should plan ahead. Placing a towel or piece of cardboard over a car windscreen before any moisture or ice has formed will prevent the morning windscreen frost.