How to Prevent Your Car Windshield from Freezing

Form many drivers, the winter season can prove laborious and time-consuming. Rather than hopping behind the wheel and hitting the road, you'll have to shovel snow and ice off your windshield. Only then can you safely drive in this sub-freezing winter weather. So, is there any way to protect your windshield from freezing so you aren't forced to scrape it every morning (and possibly evening)?

There are a few tricks that can certainly prove helpful in discouraging ice from forming on our windshield. Arguably, one of the most effective solutions involves vinegar. Vinegar is great for countless things, from cleaning tile grout and floors, to improving hair and skin tone. Aside from these household applications, though, vinegar can also be used to prevent your car windshield from freezing. After parking your car in the driveway, pour a generous amount of distilled white vinegar onto a paper towel and wipe it across the windshield. Vinegar has a lower freezing point than water, making it particularly effective for this purpose.

Some drivers have also reported success by wiping running alcohol over their car's windshield. Much like vinegar, rubbing alcohol has a lower freezing point than water. In fact, at -128 degrees Fahrenheit, it's freezing point is much lower. Both rubbing alcohol and vinegar are two inexpensive, do-it-yourself solutions to prevent your car windshield from freezing.

Another idea is to place an old set of car floor mats over your windshield at night. How does this help? The floor mats should absorb the moisture. So instead of moisture settling on the windshield and turning to ice, it simply accumulates in the mat fibers.

Not everyone is going to have access to rubbing alcohol, vinegar or an old set of floor mats every time they drive. Even if use these techniques to keep your windshield from freezing, it's still a good idea to keep a scraper on hand. When you discover a thick sheet of ice covering your windshield, use a scraper to remove it. As long your car is cranked and the heat running, this should make the ice relatively easy to remove.

To recap, there are two particularly easy ways to prevent your windshield from freezing this winter: vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Applying either to your windshield should prevent it from freezing, even in the coldest of winter days.