Winter mornings bring a familiar enemy to drivers everywhere: misted, foggy windscreens that slow your start and threaten safety. Oddly enough, condensation the culprit behind that fog is driven by moisture trapped inside your car, accumulating as temperatures plummet. But there’s a surprisingly simple way to fight back: put salt in your car.
Salt naturally absorbs moisture from the air, which is why placing around one kilogram of coarse salt inside a cotton bag and leaving it inside your car can drastically reduce window condensation. This tiny moisture sponge quietly pulls dampness from the cabin air, stopping fog before it can fog up your view.
In my years as a firefighter, attending countless accidents caused by poor visibility, I realized how bad condensation can be. Drivers often underestimate how fast a clear windshield can cloud over as temperatures drop overnight or early morning. This simple salt trick offers a battery and energy-free solution to keep your vision clear without relying on heaters or idling.
To protect your car’s interior, it’s smart to keep the salt bag on a non-absorbent base like a plastic tray or an aluminium plate, so any dampness doesn’t harm your dashboard or upholstery. The salt bag works best alongside good practices: keeping your windows clean, using your car’s demister and air-conditioning systems properly, and cracking a window open slightly to improve airflow.
This low-cost, eco-friendly hack saves you frustration, reduces engine idling, and makes winter driving safer for everyone. Sometimes the easiest fixes are also the smartest. So, before your next foggy morning drive, grab some coarse salt and a cloth bag ... you're welcome!