AAA Texas: Tips to De-ice/thaw Your Windshield

Never use hot water or metal ice scrapers

As winter weather blankets North, Central and parts of West Texas with frozen precipitation this week, many motorists will need to de-ice their windshield prior to driving. There are good and bad methods when it comes to de-icing. It’s important that drivers safely and correctly do this to avoid costly damage and repairs. Here are some tips from AAA Texas on how to prevent and remove windshield ice.

To remove ice from a windshield, follow these simple steps:

Start the engine

Set the heater defrost

Adjust the airflow to recirculate

Move the temperature control to full heat

If your car has an automatic climate control system, simply set it to defrost. If your car is one of the few with an optional electricallyheated windshield, turn to it on to rapidly clear ice from the glass.

If desired, apply a commercial glass de-icer spray to the windshield. These products generally contain methanol, which is the best form of alcohol for deicing. However, like pretreatment sprays, they tend to cost up to $15 per quart and may contain pet-hazardous ethylene glycol.

Some do it yourselfers use a homemade de-icing solution made up of one part isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and two parts water. The isopropyl alcohol sold in stores ranges from 50 to 90 percent purity. Higher purity provides a lower freezing point and better de-icing capability. A few drops of dish soap added to the mixture will help coat the ice more evenly. Apply the solution with a spray bottle and, if practical, store it indoors so the added warmth can aid the de-icing process.