My commute to work takes all of 5 minutes but involves one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Thame.
I’m not talking about the bypass or big Aylesbury roundabout, I’m talking about the High Street.
I drive down this road at about 8am each and every morning, & at this time of year the sun is just popping up over the Town Hall.
On a clear, frosty morning this can present a real hazard and I’m always super cautious.
Probably stems from the time a few years ago when I lived even closer to work and lazily drove in one morning, followed swiftly by a passing police car.
He’d seen me driving out of my road, head poking out the window, windscreen still completely frosted over.
He gave me a very stern talking to and ever since then I’ve tried every trick in the book to make the morning de-icing process as painless as possible.
Obviously, keeping a bottle of deicer and a scraper to hand is a good start, but here are my top 5 ways to reduce your screen clearing time in the mornings:
1) Keep your car in the garage!
Just kidding. I mean, yes this works like a champ every time, but most of us keep our cars on the drive so let’s get to the practical stuff.
2) Blanket on the windscreen
This is so simple yet hardly anybody does it. You can get yourself a fancy screen protector from somewhere like Halfords, or just a plain old heavy blanket draped across your window works just as well.
Just remember to remove it before you drive off.
That was another joke.
3) De-mist the inside with kitchen roll
It’s not always the ice on the outside that takes the time in the mornings. Sometimes you can be sitting there for ages waiting for your de-misters to kick in.
If you’ve ever tried to speed up the process with the back of a gloved hand or rag you’ll know that you just get left with a hazardous smeary mess.
But kitchen roll works superbly as it absorbs the moisture.
If you already have condensation on the inside of your screen – perhaps from a previous failed attempt at clearing it – get yourself a micro-fibre cloth and deal with the problem once and for all.
The demisters are likely to work up to 5 times quicker once you’ve got rid of the condensation.
4) Use your air con
Air conditioning de-mists much faster than regular airflow because it’s drier.
Using your air con in the winter has the added advantage of keeping your system functioning correctly. We service a lot of air con systems at TSS that could easily have been maintained by regular use during the Winter months.
5) Dry your car out properly
If you have a persistent problem with your car misting up in the mornings then it’s likely you have moisture in the car already.
If you’re able to do so securely, try leaving your car with its windows open for a few hours.
Air will flow through the car (on a dry day obviously!) and remove some of the moisture that could have accumulated from wet dogs, towels, coats & shoes.
If you’re getting that mildew smell when you get in your car you probably have residual dampness that’s allowing bacteria to grow and give off that smell.
If you can’t get rid of it yourself, give our service team a call and speak to them.
They have some secret ninja ‘next level’ tricks for bringing back that new car smell and eliminating the habitual morning de-misting routine.
It’s worth bearing in mind because according to the AA there were 22 fatalities on the roads last year because of drivers peering through cleared slits in ice-covered windscreens.
Combine poor visibility with a low sun on a crisp morning and there’s an accident waiting to happen.
I have to admit, although I have tried all of the tips in this blog, these days I drive Fords.
Almost their entire range has a super fast quick clear front screen that literally takes me 23 seconds, even on the frostiest mornings.
Makes me feel very smug.
Happy Driving.
