# Technique for getting ice off the windshield

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 27, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161 "2009-01-27T00:58:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/41 "2009-01-28T11:51:36Z")

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Here’s a link to Rain-X

[http://www.rainx.com/Products/Windshield\_Treatment/2\_In\_1.aspx](http://www.rainx.com/Products/Windshield_Treatment/2_In_1.aspx)

\*Helps prevent and remove sleet, snow, ice, bugs, and road spray from sticking to glass \*

Wow, this stuff doesn’t require buffing, which used to be the PITA about the product. Me lurves how rain beads away and you often don’t even need the wipers. I think I still have some of the “old” stuff in the garage—I’ll have to apply some today.

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**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/42 "2009-01-28T14:26:12Z")

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> [@constanze](#):
>
> But you don’t need to run the engine to get ice off! You use a bit of your muscle and the ice scraper! Like I said, if you idle your car for a few minutes, **police will give you ticket, or your neighbours will treat you like the worst polluter on Earth because everybody knows you don’t idle, yet we all manage to scrape off the ice from our windshields.** (Because driving around with a frosted-over windshield and only a tiny peep-hole scraped free is dangerous and therefore, gets you a even more serious ticket.)
> 
> The warnings by police and car clubs start in November to get up 10 min. earlier than usual so you have enough time to scrape your car free, to scrape all windows (including sides) and brush snow off the roof (so there’s no avalanche when you brake). And to get winter tires and drive according to conditions. Every year they tell people anew, so everybody should know it.

🙂  
How humorously different in such a small way America and Germany are!

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/43 "2009-01-28T16:49:31Z")

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One thing I’ve seen people do is put a blanket (as **constanze** mentioned) or even their floor mats over the windshield when snow or ice is forecasted.

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**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/44 "2009-01-29T17:44:22Z")

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> [@Finagle](#):
>
> Your climate must be more kindly than ours. If it’s cold enough, just the moisture from your breath is enough to cover the inside of the windshield with frost. Much safer to let the defroster get up to operating temperature before driving.

Huh? We recently had a wave of -20 C in North and Mid-Germany, and in Bavaria (close to the Mountains) -10 are usual during a normal winter. I didn’t know Boston is that close to artic temps.

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**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/45 "2009-01-29T18:00:20Z")

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okay, I looked at the ADAC [website](http://www.adac.de/Auto_Motorrad/Umwelt/Warmlaufenlassen_des_Motors/default.asp?ComponentID=3909&SourcePageID=142577)(the German AA; their experts and advice on cars is highly respected) and they say

> [@](#):
>
> Die Unsitte scheint nicht ausrottbar: In der kalten Jahreszeit starten vereinzelte Zeitgenossen ganz gerne erstmal den Motor und machen sich dann daran, die Verglasung rundum mit dem Eiskratzer zu bearbeiten. Und das, obwohl sich eigentlich herumgesprochen haben müßte, dass das weder sinnvoll noch zulässig ist.  
> **Rough translation**
> 
> - The wrong behaviour seems unkillable: in the cold season some individuals start their engine first and then start attacking the glas area with scrapers. Although it should be well-known that this is neither useful nor allowed. \*
> 
> Einheizen, aber richtig!
> 
> Bei Leerlaufdrehzahl dauert es reichlich, bis das erste laue Lüftchen aus der Fahrzeugheizung bläst. Beim Fahren, “unter Last”, kommt die Motor -und damit auch Heizungstemperatur - dagegen vergleichsweise schnell auf Touren. Somit ist klar: Die Umwelt wird völlig sinnlos durch Abgase und Lärm belastet. Zudem wird überflüssiger weise Sprit - sprich “Geld” durch den Auspuff gejagt, und ein Knöllchen von 10 Euro droht ebenfalls
> 
> - Heating, but done right: Running idle speed it takes a lot of time, till the first lukewarm breeze comes from the car’s heater. But if you are driving, “under load”, the engine - and with it the heater temp. - relativly quickly goes up to high revolutions. This makes it obvious: the enviroment is stressed completly needlessly with noise and emission. On top of that, gasoline - meaning money - is blown uselessly through the tailpipe, and a ticket of 10 Euros is also threatening.\*
> 
> Enteisungshilfen
> 
> Windschutzscheibe abends in Folie einpacken (dauert ein paar Sekunden) oder ein Enteisungsmittel (Pumpspray) verwenden. Mit dem bekommt man auch hartnäckige Eisschichten, die sich bei besonders ungünstigen Temperatur -und Luftfeuchteverhältnissen bilden können, schnell von Scheiben und Außenspiegeln - zur Not unter Mitwirkung des Eiskratzers.
> 
> - De-icing tips: wrap windshield in foil in the evening (takes only a few seconds) or use a de-icing chemical (pump spray). With that you can also get rid quickly of obnoxious ice sheets, which form during unfavourable temp- and humidity conditions, on glas and mirrors, - if necessary with the aid of the ice scraper.\*
> 
> Nässe im Auto
> 
> Manchmal ist es lästig. Kurz nach dem Losfahren schlägt sich ein dünner Eisfilm innen an der Scheibe nieder. Das kann daran liegen, dass mit den Schuhen oder der Kleidung zuviel Nässe in den Innenraum transportiert wurde. Gummimattten sollten also immer wieder ausgeleert oder auch zusätzlich mit einer Lage Zeitungspapier unterlegt werden. Im feuchten Zustand wandern die dann wieder ins Altpapier. Auch die Klimaanlage sollte man im Fahrbetreib sporadisch zuschalten: sie verfügt grundsätzlich über eine Entfeuchtungs-Funktion.
> 
> - Wetness inside the car: Sometimes it’s a bother: Shortly after starting, a thin film of ice condenses on the windshield. That’s because too much humitidy was transported inside with the shoes or clothes. So rubber mats should regularly be emptied, or if necessary, aided with a layer of newspapers. Those can be thrown into the paper recycling once they are wet. The air conditioner should also be turned on occasionally during the drive: it has a basic de-humidifying function.\*

Note to the Mods: I quoted a long part in order to translate the german text, I hope that’s okay.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/46 "2009-01-29T18:27:40Z")

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> [@PatriotGrrrl](#):
>
> It’s funny - stores sell a deicing chemical in a spray can, made just for this purpose, and it works **WONDERFULLY!!!** :D:cool::p:) It’s widely available, not expensive, and I would no sooner be without it than I would be without a scraper.
> 
> Yet I am apparently the only person on the internet who uses it. 😕

I looked at that stuff and it said it has to be applied when the temperature is above 40. Since that won’t happen until April or May, I guess I missed the window (pun intended).

> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> 🙂  
> How humorously different in such a small way America and Germany are!

I’m saying…tickets for idling or not clearing off your windshield?? Don’t your police have more serious issues to attend to?

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/47 "2009-01-29T18:33:12Z")

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More on the de-icer spray:

\<\<The instructions say to\*\* start the car, then fire up your defrost \*\*(front and rear, I presume). While the car’s warming up, you spray Rain-X De-Icer on the glass surfaces, including side windows, rear window and mirrors.

Results for me were unremarkable; so don’t throw away your scraper just yet. The ice was typical Ottawa-style, which means thick. Side windows were as tough to clean as they always were. The windshield was easier, but don’t forget, I had the defrost on full blast. Similarly, the rear window was no problem, but the defroster was working there, too. Mirrors were still tricky.

**I suspect that if I left the car to warm up with the heater on, the ice would be easy to remove with or without Rain-X De-Icer**. In which case a remote car starter might be a better idea. \>\>

**bolding mine**

[http://www.canadiandriver.com/winter/rain-x.htm](http://www.canadiandriver.com/winter/rain-x.htm)

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**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/48 "2009-01-29T18:47:56Z")

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> [@gigi](#):
>
> I’m saying…tickets for idling or not clearing off your windshield?? Don’t your police have more serious issues to attend to?

Not clearing your windshield completly =\> Dangerous driving because you can’t see all around. Dangerous drivers are stopped by the traffic police because that’s their job.

Idling = polluting the enviroment, that needs to be stopped so selfish people learn it.

And it’s the job of the police to stop all crimes, not concentrate on murders only and forget small stuff. But then, our murder rate is a bit lower than the US (one of those small differences…)  
If the police started ranking crimes by importance instead of stopping all illegal behaviour, then they would interfere with the job of the lawmakers, who make laws for a reason. Since there is a good reason in most cases, only the selfish or dumb people need to be punished, the sensible ones see the reason and obey the laws.

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**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/49 "2009-01-29T18:58:21Z")

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Denver has an idling law. No more than 5 minutes.

Unless it’s less than 20 degrees.

I think a bigger concern over pollution is car theft. Since that’s not an issue for me, I’ll keep running my car for 15 minutes in the morning before I leave (in the winter).

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**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/50 "2009-01-29T19:10:16Z")

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I prevented snow melting and freezing on my car one night while driving in the snow by turning off the heater and opening my window so the glass would get to outside temp before I reached my destination. I had already scraped ice off the windshield once that night and since it was still snowing I didn’t want to do it twice. It worked, all I had to do was brush snow off the glass, no scraping. I felt so smart 😛

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/51 "2009-01-29T19:57:54Z")

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> [@Finagle](#):
>
> Your climate must be more kindly than ours. If it’s cold enough, just the moisture from your breath is enough to cover the inside of the windshield with frost. Much safer to let the defroster get up to operating temperature before driving.

Yup. And it doesn’t have to be too much below freezing for this to occur. Although I don’t wait for “operating temperature.” It’s quite good enough to simply get the air above freezing, which – except on the coldest days – occurs in the time it takes me to clean the car.

> [@constanze](#):
>
> Huh? We recently had a wave of -20 C in North and Mid-Germany, and in Bavaria (close to the Mountains) -10 are usual during a normal winter. I didn’t know Boston is that close to artic temps.

We had a cold wave where outside temperatures in the morning were showing as -17 C on my outdoor thermometer (which as swag from an EU company only registers in C). But as I mentioned, it needn’t be this cold to form frost inside a car.

Consider that for the rest of your cites (thanks, by the way!), gas is cheap is cheap and plentiful (yes, even at $4 per US gallon), so we don’t worry about the expense. Frost forms from your own respiration, not necessarily only from trapped humidity. AC compressors don’t work below a certain temperature. Diesel engines are rare, and so noise and stench isn’t a concern for us. And finally, while collective measurements from pre-heating cars would be high, the percentange of contribution versus a normal commute is inconsequential for those of us with long commutes.

I’m not provoking an argument (I hope), but rather just expressing general differences between USAians and Europeans.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/52 "2009-01-29T21:23:54Z")

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> [@constanze](#):
>
> Not clearing your windshield completly =\> Dangerous driving because you can’t see all around. Dangerous drivers are stopped by the traffic police because that’s their job.
> 
> Idling = polluting the enviroment, that needs to be stopped so selfish people learn it.
> 
> And it’s the job of the police to stop all crimes, not concentrate on murders only and forget small stuff.

I live in Buttfuck Nowhere where the cops don’t have a lot to do and I still haven’t heard of people getting ticketed for not clearing their windshields. But I was being kind of tongue-in-cheek about it, since that’s always people’s retort when they do get nabbed–“aren’t there worse crimes you could be investigating?” 😉

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/53 "2009-01-29T23:41:11Z")

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I don’t encourage bashing car glass, but I have a somewhat better idea. When I hope to make the ice into smaller pieces, I use the corner of the scraper to etch lines in the ice. The smaller pieces are easier to deal with.

The biggest problem for me was always that I hadn’t allowed time to scrape ice for 10 minutes before leaving for work.:rolleyes:

Like some of you, my first step is to start the car and turn the defroster on high.

By the way, it’s not true that car air conditioning was pioneered by three brothers named Norm, Hi, and Max. It’s a fun thought, though.

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**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/54 "2009-01-30T00:08:06Z")

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> [@lobotomyboy63](#):
>
> Thanks for the info…I suspect you could make your own and save some money.

I have no idea but at my work we have copious amounts of methanol and ethylene glycol and a coworker did just this: read the ingredients, then made his own. He sprays it on before parking the car for the night (because of the heater, the glass is not so cold) and he says it works good. If I remember I will ask him if he’s still using it.

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**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technique-for-getting-ice-off-the-windshield/483161/55 "2009-01-30T00:11:15Z")

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> [@erislover](#):
>
> I have no idea but at my work we have copious amounts of methanol and ethylene glycol and a coworker did just this: read the ingredients, then made his own. He sprays it on before parking the car for the night (because of the heater, the glass is not so cold) and he says it works good. If I remember I will ask him if he’s still using it.

Hey, thanks! I wonder if either would damage the paint (or windshield wipers, other things they would come into contact with) if you went too crazy on the amounts.

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