EVERYONE hates waking up to a frosted-over windscreen in the mornings, but it’s only set to get worse in the coming weeks.
The Met Office has activated a whopping six snow and ice warnings this week as Britain is chilled by temperatures as low as -11C.
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Drivers have been warned not to use icy roads where possible and four busy motorways were hit with restrictions thanks to the conditions.
But you could see your journey scuppered before even setting out if your windscreen has iced up overnight.
As temperatures tumble, water condenses onto the glass and then freezes in place.
Motorists who can recall their school science classes may remember that water freezes at 0C.
However, there are plenty of other liquids that have to get much colder before they solidify.
And one just so happens to be a bathroom cupboard staple which most Brits likely already have a bottle of.
Rubbing alcohol is a very strong solution of either isopropyl alcohol or ethanol, which have freezing points of -89C and -114C respectively.
It’s usually used as an antiseptic on cuts and grazes, but can also be a surprisingly effective de-icer.
All you have to do is put some in a spray bottle and spray down your frozen windscreen with the mixture.
Simply wait a few minutes before helping it out with an ice scraper as needed.
The spray will lower the freezing point of the water, causing it to melt even in sub-zero conditions.
You can then wipe the leftover water away with a dry cloth or squeegee to prevent re-freezing.
And you can even pre-spray the mix before the nighttime chill comes in to minimise the amount of frost that forms in the first place.
Fortunately, if you don’t yet have a bottle, you can pick up rubbing alcohol for as little as 24p online, working out to around 2p per spritz.
Or you can check out the rest of SunMotors’ top five cheap hacks for de-icing your windscreen.
