It’s probably one of the most annoying situations that you can encounter when you’re in colder weather. You’re ready to head out to work or school in the morning, you turn over your engine, but your window won’t roll down. This can cause trouble in many different regards, so we bet you’re wondering “How do I unfreeze my car windows in cold weather?”
Our Carville’s Auto Mart team has seen this before, and we’ve listed some methods you can take to help prevent your windows from freezing over. With this, you can ride on as normal no matter the condition!
Materials you can use to prevent your car window from freezing in cold weather
Defroster and Scraper
The number one culprit for a frozen car window is ice buildup between glass and rubber, which prevents your window’s electric motor from being able to pull it down. In most cases, this can be remedied by taking some extra time to scrape away excess ice on the outside of your model and use your defroster to thaw your window inside. After some time, you’ll be able to open and close your windows again.
White Vinegar and Water
Due to how vinegar is built, it’s also a highly effective ice-breaking compound; if you need a quicker method to remove ice, mix three-fourths of a cup of vinegar with one-fourth cup of lukewarm water in a spray bottle. Then apply it to the affected areas of your window – you should see any ice buildup begin to melt away, then you can scrape it off much easier.
Read More: What to do when your vehicle is stuck in the snow
Rubbing Alcohol
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol is also a great option for breaking away pesky ice; you’ll want to mix it in the same way as our listed vinegar compound (three-fourths cup of alcohol, one-fourths of room temperature water) and spray your window. Let this sit for around three minutes and repeat as necessary.
Chemical De-Icers
The fastest way to remove ice comes in the form of chemical de-icers, which you can usually find at just about any local hardware store. Its active polypropylene glycol compound is highly effective at melting away ice almost immediately, and you’ll also want to have a squeegee or sponge on hand in order to wipe away the slush that will result.
Read More: How to get snow and ice buildup off of your vehicle’s windshield