Experts’ 50p trick to de-ice car windscreen using item already in your kitchen cupboard

Car experts have shared a genius hack that will speed up the process of de-icing your windscreen in the mornings. You just need an item from your kitchen cupboard which costs 40p

When you’re in a rush in the morning, there are few things worse than finding your car windscreen has frozen over. Shivering, with cold fingers, it can be a nightmare to try to defrost it quickly so you can head off to work.

One option of course is to let your car warm up if there’s a defrost setting, but this can take up to 15 minutes – and if your engine is idling you could actually incur a £80 fine.

Now the cold weather is creeping in, it’s important to know that there are other more cost effective ways of melting the ice on your windscreen.

According to motoring experts at LeaseCar.uk, you can de-frost your car windscreen using a very common item from your kitchen which costs around 50p in your local supermarket.

All you have to do is create a water salt solution, using table salt you probably already have in your cupboard, which can be used to dissolve the ice with a chemical reaction.

The experts explain: “This will dissolve the ice with a chemical reaction rather than melting it with heat. The ions in salt also lower the freezing point of water, making it difficult for it to refreeze.

“Apply the solution sparingly, as heavy application could damage the glass.”

You can use normal salt you have at home to prepare the de-icing solution, but if you want quicker results you can use rock salt.

Pour some water into a spray bottle and add one tablespoon of salt per two cups of water. Shake the bottle to help it dissolve, and spray it onto your windscreen to watch the ice melt away.

Although this will help when ice has already formed on your windows, you could try to prevent it all together using another item found in your kitchen.

According to experts, onions can break down frost as soon as it forms on your windows. So if you rub half an onion across the surfaces the night before, it should prevent ice from showing up the next morning.

A spokesperson for LeaseCar.uk said: “Trying to scrape the windscreen of a vehicle on a cold and frosty morning can be a huge inconvenience especially before setting off to work or school.

“Every year it is almost guaranteed that drivers will use their credit card or an old CD to clear the snow from their cars, but this can cause lasting damage to a vehicle.

“Taking sure the windscreen is covered with tarp or some sort of sheet can help to ease the ice build up. And there are a number of homemade solutions that can be made that act as a great alternative to de-icer.”

Other solutions include spraying the iced windshield with a mixture of water and vinegar, which should also prevent ice from forming the next day.

A more expensive but very effective method is using vodka, which is great for melting frozen surfaces.

Have you tried any of these methods? Let us know in the comments below.