If you don’t want ice biting into your windshield, then park it in a garage. Unfortunately, many don’t have that option. But you can’t drive without seeing through your windshield, you know, for your safety. So what should you do to scrape that cold, hard ice away? Here are some simple tricks that work well, cost nothing, and take less time than doing the back-and-forth with an ice scraper. Throw it away and get ready for some simple de-icing tricks. 

Does using cardboard really keep ice off the windshield?

The first is getting cardboard from a corrugated box and placing it on the windshield the night before snow falls. It forms rather feeble, yet surprising, decent insulation from the ice. The next morning just pull it off and you’ve got a clear view. 

However, be cautious about doing this if there is a chance of sleet or rain. Sticking cardboard on your windshield in those conditions means not only having to scrape the windshield, but also scraping the cardboard off of it as well. Cardboard frozen on the windshield is no fun. 

Is using boiling water a good idea?

You can also substitute the cardboard with a bed sheet. Use your wipers to hold it in place. Keep a plastic bag inside your cars to put the cold, wet sheet into. However, the cardboard seems to insulate the windshield better and is simpler to do, without the wet sheet mess. 

We’ve heard of some people pouring boiling water onto their windshields. That’s a bad idea. Introducing boiling water to an iced-up windshield means it is likely to crack. But there is a way to use hot water to de-ice without danger.

These tricks are even easier

This DailyMail trick takes a ziplock plastic bag, and is a fairly simple concept. Just add some hot water to a ziplock bag, seal it up, and drag or roll it along your windshield. The ice just melts away. It also keeps your hand or hands warm while you’re doing it. This takes so little time you can also use it to go over your side and rear windows, and the mirrors, too. 

We’ve heard of some people keeping one of those laundry or carpet stain cleaner bottles with a brush in their cars. Filled with vinegar, or a small amount of dish soap, and water, you can use it to remove the ice. It functions as a combination of scraping and melting but takes less work than using a scraper. 

We’ve got two more quick suggestions. Spraying a vinegar and water solution onto the windshield once it is parked for the night helps to act as insulation. Vinegar has a lower freezing point than water, which helps to keep ice from forming. And finally, parking your car facing the east means as the sun rises in the morning it will begin to melt the windshield ice, providing the clouds haven’t hung around too.