I think I read that here, too. There are products in the stores that do the same thing, but I suspect vinegar is a lot kinder to the environment.

Since my car is not in a completely closed garage, if a snowstorm is expected I cover the windshield with one of those vinyl (?) things made for the purpose.

Now I'm wondering what to do about my car when I go back to work. I'll be parking it at 2:00 p.m. By the time I leave seven hours later, the windshield could look quite different.....

Saline will work, since it lowers the freezing point.

A piece of sheet plastic cut from a roll at the hardware/lumber store will do the job, cut long enough that you can close the door on it at each end to keep it from blowing away.

Cheaper, too.

A way to reduce the fogging up (and forming of ice in the morning) on the inside of the glass is to open the window an inch or so a half mile before stopping at the end of an earlier trip, to let the moisture-laden air in the car escape, to be replaced by cold, dryer air, that won't make as a large a deposit on the glass when it cools.

Good wishes for getting all of the hot air that you need.

Don't be like the friend who lives in an apartment near downtown and had a farmer bring in a load of wood for his fireplace, which he stored at the end of an alley near his apartment with a view to reducing the electric bill ... only to have a good portion of it stolen.

ole joyful

Joyful, that sounds like a good tip. From now on, when I park I'll crack a window just a bit.

Are you talking about inside or outside glass? I've never had that big a problem with either for that matter. When my vehicle is outside, I start it first, turn the defroster onto high then get out and start cleaning off the vehicle. I'd always do the side and rear windows first because by the time I finish with them, the defroster would do its thing and take care of the windshield. I also clean headlights, taillights and license plates of snow if applicable. I've used some of the spray deicer and it works well. Regular wash fluid well, it works but often it fogs up quickly. The deicer stuff really works well. I got spray bottles and a couple gallons of it for the washer, for free after rebate. I refill the spray bottle and keep it handy if needed. But like I say, a few minutes of run time takes care of the issues usually, at least for me. Plus, park with the sun pointing at the windshield if possible. Doesn't take much to clean it up and put some heat inside the vehicle. Of course, this is a wintertime suggestion. Summertime I park in the shade and avoid direct sunlight.

Kind of a coincidence this comes up though. I just figured out last week how to use the defroster on my "new" rig. (Well "newer" is more correct.) Heater controls aren't well defined and with the combination of controls, took a while to figure them out. No manual came with it. Didn't get a chance to look it up on the internet. But never had a problem either. So all is well on the frozen tundra.

And it seems to me that simply opening the door to get out would let in sufficient air to cool it down without having to be uncomfortable while in there. Although I wind up doing a similar thing often since I drive up to my mailbox quite often, open the window, and occasionally the door to grab the mail from the box and pull in.

Be careful not to get the saline and/or vinegar solutions on the painted surface of your cars. Or if you do...wipe it off immediately. Both solutions are acidic enough to cause damage to the paint. Please take it from one who discovered this the hard way some years ago. ;-)

Anne

All good suggestions but.....

I have a problem with leaving the windows open a wee bit as my car was broken into 3 times during a short period.
Presumably young people were looking for change as nothing was taken. Tapes were all over but they don't want this old gals type of music.

I like the idea of letting it run awhile to warm up and that is what I have always done, until this year when the city passed a by-law stating that any car running over 2 minutes is eligible for a hefty fine. You can't always get through main intersections at peak hours in 2 minutes!!!

I have tried spraying vinegar and water on and wiping it down few minutes ago. I'll know in the morning if it works as I didn't do all the windows. However, one froze almost as quickly as it hit the glass. I haven't much faith in this.

Years ago I bought something to spray on to help get it off. I'm sure it had an ether base. I carried it inside the car. One morning when I got to work I realized that I had inhaled some of the fumes. Out it went. Could have been serious, if I had travelled farther.

This is a good topic right now when we have been getting some extra cold air. To-day ,though, has been very nice and bright. The sun helps us all feel better.

It was a combination of vinegar and car window washer solution (that blue stuff), I think half and half in a spray bottle.

No, use vinegar. Not vinegar and water.

I am glad I live here on the beautiful central coast of California.

I didn't add that I close the window when I stop and leave the car, especially if it's to be sitting outside - I'm not enthused about having a snowbank on my seat on my return.

Hi Iva Mae,

Aren't you glad that you didn't choose to light up a smoke on your way to work that morning after you'd used the ether to clear the window/windshield?

Nice to see you at church this morning.

The theme was John the Baptiser baptising Jesus, and during the children's story our minister showed a bowl of water, saying how important it is for our lives, then invited each child to take a stone from the bottom of the bowl, to remind them of God's love for them.

As she greeted us leaving the sanctuary, she was holding the bowl and invited us all to take a coloured stone, and the head of council held a towel to dry the stone and our hand.

I said that it wasn't every day that we come to church to get stoned.

Have a glorious, blessed week, everyone.

ole joyful