3 parts Vinegar to 1 part tap-water, in a used spray bottle (never toss those, if they still work).
BTW–bump this, to keep it handy for Dopers in frozen need.
Damn that Elsa. 
Eh. I just picked up one of these at Harbor Fright Tools.
I don’t get it. Don’t you fill you washer fluid reservoir with de-icer?
- Only works on front windshield
- If you didn’t (or can’t) raise your wiper blades, your liable to damage the blades if you activate the “clean your windshield” lever.
I just kicked out my windows.
Sounds like a nice go-to formula in a pinch: Save an old Windex bottle & fill with water & vinegar.
There was a thread the other week here with another nice go to formula of vodka with rock salt as an ice melting formula too, but I have no idea which of the two would work better than the other through a squirt bottle.
I’ve lived in Canada most of my life and no one, absolutely no one, uses any of these concoctions, which leads me to believe they’re not effective. If they were effective at least someone would be doing it.
The freezing point of this douche compound appears to be just below the freezing point of plain water. And the acetic acid in vinegar could eat you paint.
Why bother? All anyone does here is start the car and let it warm up (if possible) and get the scraper out. Sometimes I’ll let the windshield washer and wipers clear the windshield, but nothing beats warming the car and scraping.
Fine, withdrawn. I haven’t used either, but if you say its crap, I won’t disbelieve it.
I do know that a Lot of people buy the Engine Block Warmer option on cars where they plug it into an out-door house socket before start up. I’m not saying it often gets down to “crack the engine block” cold, but please remember that
this Same technology means that, properly pre-warmed, your defroster will blow hot onto your windshield right at engine start up without having to wait 10 minutes.
*Still, please do unplug before you roll away from your house… *