Car experts’ 12p hack for preventing windscreen frost thanks to kitchen staple

With temperatures set to plunge in the UK over the next few days, it’s worth remembering a cheap little hack that can save your windscreen from freezing, saving you precious seconds in the morning

With UK temperatures dropping to -2 degrees in some places today and more cold weather on the way, it means it’s going to get frosty out there. Sub-zero temperatures means icy car windscreens, which can be extremely annoying in the early hours of the morning when you need to set off to work.

Frosty windscreens aren’t just an annoyance, but can actually land drivers with a £100 fine and three points on their licence. Luckily, cold weather experts from Iceland, Lotus Car Rental, have revealed an incredibly clever and bizarre hack that should keep your windscreen from freezing over using a staple item from your kitchen.

The item in question, which costs about 12p from most supermarkets, is an onion.

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According to the experts, onions can break down frost as soon as it forms on the window.

Simply cut an onion in half and rub it generously all over the windows and windscreen the night before you need to drive. This should stop frost from forming in the first place.

If you don’t have an onion, a potato should work in the same way – and at least it won’t make you cry in the process.

Vinegar works in the same way, so you could spray a vinegar solution mixed with water on your windscreen the night before.

The experts explain that vinegar is often “used as a de-icer because its freezing point is much lower than water’s, meaning the water doesn’t have the chance to settle and freeze on top of the vinegar”.

If using vegetables doesn’t appeal to you, there are a few other tricks and tips you could try out.

For example, you could try putting a bed sheet or large piece of cardboard over the windscreen to avoid it freezing over night.

Another tip is to use a deicing fluid, which can be bought at most supermarkets and petrol stations.

While homemade alternatives can be effective and cheaper, this will most certainly do the job and is handy to keep in the car for when you need it.

If all else fails, you could try to fill a bag with warm water and run it over the windscreen for a quick result.

The experts warn: “It may sound obvious but it’s always worth mentioning that you should never pour boiling hot water onto your windscreen. While one in five of us have admitted to doing this, even pouring lukewarm water can cause car windows to crack, especially if they are already chipped.

“Instead, pour some warm water in a ziplock bag and then rub the bag over your windscreen. This hack went viral on TikTok last winter because it takes the ice off in seconds!”

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