How to get ice off your windshield fast — and the one thing never to do

A frozen windshield at 7 a.m. is a race against the clock. The good news: the fastest way to get ice off your windshield is also the safest one. Warm the glass from the inside, soften the ice with de-icer, and scrape it off with plastic — no hot water, no metal, no peephole. Here is how to remove ice from a windshield properly, step by step.

Step 1: Start the car and set the defroster the right way

Before you start the engine, look at the tailpipe. If snow is packed around it, clear it first: a blocked exhaust can push carbon monoxide into the cabin. The CDC and car makers both warn about this after heavy snow. And never sit someone in a running car that is still buried.

Then set the climate control. The aim is warm, dry air on the glass:

Mode

Windshield defrost (not bi-level)

Air intake

Fresh / outside air — recirculation off

A/C

On — it dries the air

Heat

Let it warm up gradually

Also on

Rear defroster and heated mirrors

A cold engine can't make warm air, so the first minutes will feel slow — that's normal. AAA advises letting the windshield warm up gradually rather than hitting cold glass with full heat at once. Use this time for the next two steps instead of sitting in the car. Don't leave a running car unattended, and check your local rules on idling.

Step 2: Brush off the snow first — roof included

Ice you can't reach won't come off. Use a snow brush or a car snow broom to clear the loose snow: start with the roof, then the windshield, the rear window, the side windows, the mirrors, the lights and any camera or sensor panels. Clearing the roof isn't fussiness — otherwise it slides down over the windshield the first time you brake, or flies off onto the car behind you.

Step 3: Spray de-icer — or make your own

De-icer melts the bond between the ice and the glass, so the scraper does a fraction of the work. A store-bought windshield de-icer spray works, and so does a homemade one:

• Homemade de-icer: 2 parts rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol + 1 part water in a spray bottle — the mix Safelite AutoGlass recommends. Alcohol freezes at a far lower temperature than water, so it softens the ice instead of adding to it.
• Spray, then wait a minute. You'll see the ice turn slushy at the edges — that's when to scrape.
• Keep a bottle in the house, not only in the car: it's no use locked behind a frozen door.

Skip the internet hacks. Vinegar is mostly water, so it barely lowers the freezing point. Engine antifreeze is toxic and made for the radiator, not your glass — if you want a liquid in the washer reservoir, use winter-rated washer fluid.

Step 4: Scrape without scratching the glass

• Use a plastic ice scraper. Never a metal tool, a knife or your keys — they can scratch or chip the glass.
• Start at the bottom. The defroster vents warm the base of the windshield first, so the ice there gives way sooner.
• Hold the blade flat and push in short strokes. For thick ice, use the ridged side of the scraper (the ice chipper) to break the surface, then the flat blade to clear it.
• Leave the wipers until last. Don't switch them on while they're frozen to the glass — free them gently by hand once the ice around them has softened.
• Clear everything: the whole windshield, every window and both mirrors. A peephole isn't enough — and in many places driving without a clear view is illegal.

How to keep your windshield from freezing overnight

The fastest de-icing is the one you don't have to do. If frost is forecast:

• Cover the windshield with a windshield cover — or an old towel or a flattened cardboard box held under the wipers.
• Park under cover in a garage or carport if you can.
• Park facing east so the morning sun lands on the windshield.
• Fill up with winter washer fluid rated for your temperatures, so the washers don't freeze.
• Keep a scraper, a snow brush and de-icer ready before the first frost, not after it.

Frozen door or lock?

If you can't get in at all, don't yank the handle. Push firmly against the door a few times to crack the ice around the seal, then try again. For a frozen lock, use a lock de-icer. Hot water is a bad idea here too: it runs into the lock and the seals and freezes again.

And if you'd rather scrape ice for fun…

We make Clean the Snow Off My Car, Please!, a cozy first-person snow cleaning game. A storm buries the town and you dig the cars out by hand: brush the heavy snow off in chunks, crack and scrape the ice from the glass, pour hot water on frozen locks and shovel the wheels free. The game has things you shouldn't try on a real car — a chisel on the ice, a kettle on the lock — and none of the 7 a.m. cold. Read our first look at the game.

Sources

• USA TODAY fact check on pouring hot water on windshields, quoting Glass Doctor, Prestone, the AA, AAA and Safelite AutoGlass (via Yahoo News).
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Clear snow from tailpipes.
• Your car's owner's manual: the defrost settings and exhaust warnings for your exact model.