Whats the best way to get ice off your car windows?

[quakerboy]

Now, granted, we don't have ice here. But apparently a lot of people do, and it could theoretically happen here too again. So how do you get sheet ice off a car window?

Last year I tried several theories out. The store bought de-icer was crap in a can, but at least it did seem to poison me slightly. I had medium luck with a mix of rubbing alcohol and dish soap, after I chipped the ice down to the glass to get it underneath. Alcohol spread it, and the soap seemed to break the surface tension enough to pull off sheets of it.

[NMDemDist2]

1. one of these

http://www.21greatdeals.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_36&products_id=69&gclid=CMSQl8nOzZ4CFRafnAodBBkyrA

[Redstone]

2. Be lazy and just start the car with the defroster on, then let it

sit and cook until it's warm inside and the ice melts off.

Maybe not socially responsible, but it beats the hell out of freezing while you use a scraper.

Redstone

[gmoney]

7. well you should warm up your engine when it gets really stupid cold

and when it's warm enough for the defroster to start working, it's warm enough to drive

[Redstone]

34. Bingo! That also cooks the water vapor out of your engine.

Redstone

[Dystopian]

9. !

Redstone:hi:

I'm so happy happy that you posted that!:hug:
I did not want to admit that I was so lazy and ...all that waste of gas.
I don't even have to go outside...
Maybe there's more than we two who do it! :D


peace~

[Redstone]

35. Hey, it's not THAT much of a contribution to Global Warming, after all.

Redstone

[dysfunctional press]

50. all the better if you have seat warmers as well...

i keep a pair of boots in my car in the winter, because i usually drive in my slippers.

[quakerboy]

54. I encountered warmed seats for the first time about 2 weeks ago

I thought someone had peed the seat before I got it, and then the puddle was soaking into my pants. It was a company car, and we work with older and occasionally incontinent people, so it was a real posability. That was an unpleasant sensation, and I suspect I will never enjoy a warmed seat because of it.

[Rhythm]

3. I always used one of these...

Could clear all of the windows, plus the hood and roof of my vehicle, in under 5 minutes.

[quakerboy]

12. my last one was in the trunk

And someone hit the car and smashed it. Every other one I have found breaks.

[Rhythm]

15. I had the same one for about 5 years...

It outlasted my last 3 vehicles (a Geo, an Explorer, and a Stratus). Unfortunately, i left it in the Stratus' trunk when i junked it, so the monster snow-stick is no more.

[elleng]

20. Just bought one!

[struggle4progress]

4. I use hot water. Fill a gallon jug from the tap. Distribute it over the windows: I mean,

move your arm as you pour. You'd probably get slightly better results by adding salt to the water, but doing that could increase corrosion of your metal

When the ice gets thin enough, you can alternate scraping with hot water if you like

If it's REALLY REALLY COLD, you'll find the hot water you pour on quickly cools and freezes. In this case, it may help to squeegee the excess water off quickly or to use a dry towel immediately after the ice is gone

[Sebastian Doyle]

10. Not recommended if you have any chips or cracks in the windshield though

The rapid warming and thawing might cause bigger problems.

[struggle4progress]

23. Could be. I think if you spread the water around, the windshield doesn't warm very rapidly

[LeftyMom]

5. Use your garden hose.

Yes, we actually do that here. And it works because the temperature barely gets more than a more than a tick or two below freezing, and by morning things are usually thawing out anyhow.

[rcrush]

6. Sledgehammer

Or a shotgun.

[pokerfan]

8. Urine is a natural antifreeze

plus it's "dispensed" at 98.6°F. There are many uses for urine.

[Archae]

11. June.

;-)

[Robeson]

13. Warm the car up.

[Mopar151]

14. Rain-X de-icer

in the windshield washer. Unlike conventional windshield wash, it is quite resistant to refreeze - and ice releases more easily (with a scraper) from the windshield when you use it.
Windshield covers work great! Parking your car with the windshield facing the sun helps a lot, too. The best ice scrapers are the clear acrylic or polycarbonate ones.
Warming the car up helps a lot, especially with refreezing and frosting on the inside of the windshield. Fuel injected cars use a lot less gas than carbureted ones to warm up - and I think the social responsibility tradeoff of warmup gas vs. driving thru a 6" porthole favors warming the car up.

[Jamastiene]

17. Seconded. n/t

[jobycom]

16. Why would you put ice on your windshield to start with?

:shrug: I put mine in a cup, then put the cup in a cup holder.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. Every Minnesotan carries an ice scraper/snow brush in the car

That's Minnesota 101.

[pengillian101]

21. Minnesota 101

True indeed!

[LNM]

42. And Minnesota 102 is use a credit card

When you forgot to put the ice-scraper in your car from last winter.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

43. Hey, you two, have you been to the Minnesota Forum yet?

We're planning our annual holiday party.

[LNM]

44. Thanks for the invitation.

I'm in the Minnesota Forum, GD and the Lounge all the time. I just don't post that much. I'll check out the meet-up.

[Contrary1]

19. For about $90, you can get one of these:

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/no-more-ice-scraping-thanks-to-the-window-heater-2070.html

[gmoney]

27. Evidently not...

can't find anyplace online that sells them at least... wonder if there was safety issues, like it slipping off the dash and setting fire to the greasy fast food wrappers littering the floor, or people using it while driving.

[LostInAnomie]

22. Stay awake all night tirelessly sweeping any snow flake or ice droplet from you windows.

That way they never gain a foothold.

[RebelOne]

24. Just cover the window up with a plastic sheet at night.

That way you can just pull the ice and sheet off in the morning.

[gmoney]

28. Brookstone had a sun shield that doubled as an ice sheet

it had pockets that hooked over the side mirrors to hold it in place, then you could just remove it and shake off the ice and snow. Not 100% sure they sell that model anymore.

[HopeHoops]

25. Wait until Summer

Well, if you are REALLY lazy.

[hayu_lol]

26. You have to be really careful with the de-icer spray...

rubber gloves are helpful to keep this off your skin. Do not breathe the fumes.

That said, liquid de-icer spray works well...be sure to spray the wipers as well so that they can work. Goes without saying that it helps to brush or dig the snow off the windshield first.

Works here in the Oregon Cascades where temps are between freezing and -20 in the winter.

Beats having to take the time to just use a scraper. Have your engine warming up while you do this. Defroster on.

Boiling water can crack windshields.

[HopeHoops]

31. I've used hot tap water in the past without cracking one.

The worst case was in Frostburg, MD. The ice must have been 1/2" thick. I had a really good scraper, but there just wasn't a way to make a dent in the ice. A sledge hammer might have done it, but that definitely would have cracked the windshield. After about an hour of shuttling hot tap water out to the car, I finally got it to a point where the scraper was useful. And that was just the FRONT window. The side windows wouldn't roll down until I poured a bunch of hot water on them. I was finally able to pull them down (hand crank) and pop the ice out away from the car. The entire episode made me never want to go back to Frostburg.

[Inchworm]

29. I put a broken down cardboard box under wipers the night before

Voila!

:scared:

[47of74]

32. so that actually works?

I've seen a number of people doing that at work, putting cardboard sheets under the blades while they're at work.

[Inchworm]

33. As long as the windshield is dry when you start

and it doesn't rain wet rain for hours before it freezes. Then... it gets ugly.

:)

[Brickbat]

30. Warm the car up with the defroster on full-blast for like ten minutes. Then chip away at it with

the sharp edge of your scraper.

[DainBramaged]

36. Move to Florida

:shrug:

[GoCubsGo]

37. Keep the car in the garage.

Just kidding...mostly. I know that's not always possible. I always found that turning the defroster on for a few minutes, and then chipping away with a scraper worked. Some of the more difficult-to-remove patches can be encouraged to disappear by squirting windshield fluid on them--as long as your fluid ducts aren't frozen over, as well. I do not miss those days.

[old mark]

38. That spray in a can has worked well for me, if I do a little scraping

along with it.

mark

[arbusto_baboso]

39. Hot Water. Trust me on this one.

Nothing bad could POSSIBLY happen to your car windows if you follow this advice. :evilgrin:

[quakerboy]

52. Done and done.

Thanks, I will try it tomorrow if the promised ice/rain mix does indeed occur.

[arbusto_baboso]

59. Um I was joking. You windshield/windows would shatter.

[quakerboy]

60. long as that damn ice is gone,

plus, it will give me that added impetus to remember you for life...

[MrCoffee]

40. A can of Lysol and a lighter should do it

[quakerboy]

61. No, thats for cobwebs and dusting

[yawnmaster]

41. remove the car windows. problem solved. eom

[rabs]

45. Long-distance trucker says he uses this and it works fine for him.

[SteppingRazor]

46. My advice is to avoid the situation entirely. Did I mention we're experiencing record highs here...

in South Florida?


:hide:

[quakerboy]

51. There isnt enough ice in the world

I like the cold, and I hate when it gets over 80, I start feeling sick all the time.

[Jersey Devil]

47. I use one of these, never fails

[OffWithTheirHeads]

65. Needs more oxygen

[unhappycamper]

48. Drive a thousand miles south?

:shrug:

[dysfunctional press]

49. turn on the defrosters full blast, go back inside for ten minutes and do some bongs...

usually works for me.

[janx]

53. -----

:rofl:

[Canuckistanian]

55. I've always found these handy

[janx]

56. Car window?

Start the car. Warm up the car. In the meantime, use a scraper.

[donheld]

57. Global warming

[quakerboy]

58. That is so NOT helping

Here it seems to be manafesting as climate change rather than warming. More extremes, less temperateness. Which meant there was actually cause to use chains last year. and I left them on for almost 2 weeks.

[many a good man]

62. Go back to bed. Try again at noon.

I find keeping a coat of plain old Rain-X makes getting the ice off a little easier.

[Grey]

63. cover the vehicle with a tarp when warm,

or frost free, then when you unwrap it the ice is on the tarp and not on the windows etc. Give it a really good shake before stowing in the trunk to flake off all the moisture. Like a Toque (stocking cap) for your car. I had a friend that draped his car in fabric, caught in the top of each window, very festive, but not as water/frost proof as the tarp. Green and reusable.

[kentauros]

64. This oughtta do the trick:

:P

[SoxFan]

66. Hell, just remove the window entirely