Ice and snow on the car? Find out how to effectively clear your vehicle safely
Having to drive to work and finding your car covered in snow or with ice-covered windshields and mirrors is never pleasant, and you should always take the time to remove it effectively before setting off. There are a number of products and tools that can help us in this task, because using boiling water to melt everything is not always advisable. If it is really very cold, in fact, the thermal shock can shatter the glass and, in any event, very low temperatures can quickly freeze the water we use on the car.
How to do this chore properly? Read on to find out about some of the useful methods below.
There are many antifreeze products available: there are antifreeze sprays to use on the windows, and some defrosters for the locks, which are otherwise very difficult to "thaw out". Again, you will find it convenient to have some silicone lubricant and possibly white vinegar nearby.
As for useful tools: do not immediately use scrapers, not even on the ice build up, because they can easily scratch the glass and finish - use them only in the final steps of the process and on small surfaces. Therefore, rather use brushes to remove the bulk of the ice and snow. Also, you will find having airtight plastic bags and some old socks can be handy when executing this chore.
- Before starting the engine, clean the exhaust pipe out with a suitable brush, so that it is not blocked by snow or ice and so will not create problems with the blocking of exhaust fumes.
- If you can't open the car, use a defroster spray on the locks.
- Turn on the engine and also the heating system and the headlights.
- While the car heats up, use the brush to brush off as much snow as possible on all sides: windshield, rear-view mirrors, hood, etc. The headlights on will also warm up the lights a bit, and you can help this along with the brush to remove all the snow that covers them.
- Detach (if you haven't already done this) the wiper blades from the glass and check that they are in good condition, and continue to remove the bulk of the ice and snow from the window.
- If you notice that there is some ice that does not come off, you can use the scrapers or even a credit card very carefully - but it is better to try to melt it a little with an antifreeze product, to be wiped on and off with a rag.
- When it is not so cold as to risk freezing hot water which can be used to melt the ice, then you can prepare a solution by filling a 1 liter bottle with hot water, add a teaspoon of dish soap and 60 ml of alcohol and pour it only on the still-frozen parts, rubbing it on with the rag. Otherwise, you can mix 1 part of vinegar with two parts of water.
Generally, it is advisable to prepare a car that remains outside the day before in order to overcome the coldest nights without too many problems: lift the wiper blades the night before, perhaps even rubbing them with a little alcohol and then cover them with old socks.
For the wing mirrors, you can enclose them in an airtight bag (or even a plastic bag with a string) - always the night before; while on the glass of the windshield, mirrors and other windows you can pass a little alcohol or the solution of water and vinegar (with a ratio of 2: 1) over their surfaces. Silicone lubricant, on the other hand, helps you to protect the door seals and locks.
With these tips, night frosts and snowfalls will no longer be a problem.
