Drivers across the UK are being told to fill plastic sandwich bags with warm water in January to de-ice windscreens in cold weather. The first week of the new year has kicked off with freezing conditions, with multiple warnings for snow and ice in place until Friday as cold Arctic air sweeps across the country.
Amber warnings for snow have been issued by the Met Office until 7pm on Tuesday, while several yellow warnings for snow and ice affect Northern Ireland, Scotland, and much of England and Wales throughout the week. The national forecaster has warned of strong winds of up to 60mph, heavy rain and further snow from Thursday night into Friday, with up to 10cm of snowfall possible.
The cold and unsettled conditions are expected to last into the weekend, with temperatures forecast to stay well below average, which is bad news for drivers needing to get out and about.
The wintry weather is not only likely to cause travel delays and hazardous conditions on the roads, it also means drivers will have to battle with frozen windscreens over the coming days.
It’s always useful to have a can of de-icer on hand for such situations, but even then the process of removing ice from your windscreen can take a while and result in your wipers getting stuck.
To help avoid this problem, and to speed up the de-icing process, drivers are instead urged to fill a sealable plastic sandwich or freezer bag with some warm water and use this to melt the ice.
Experts recommend filling the bag about halfway with lukewarm water, sealing the bag shut and then gently sliding it across the frozen windscreen and wing mirrors. This will transfer heat onto the windscreen and cause the ice to melt quickly, saving you the effort of having to chip away at the ice slowly with a scraper.
Nick Zapolski, motoring expert and founder of ChooseMyCar.com, explains: “While scraping ice off your car can be a chore, especially if you’re in a rush, there’s a simpler way to do it in less time.
“Using just a bit of warm water and an XL supermarket freezer bag, all you need to do is rub the bag of water over the ice, with the warm air blowers on, and your ice will simply melt away.”
It’s important that the water is warm rather than boiling as the extreme temperature difference can cause thermal shock and result in cracking the glass.
Once you’ve cleared the ice from your windscreen, make sure to wipe it dry with a cloth as this will prevent the melted water from refreezing into a fresh layer of ice.
This tip should also help to free windscreen wipers that have frozen and become stuck, but you can also prevent this happening by placing a pair of old socks over the wipers during bouts of cold weather, making it much easier to get going in a morning.
The RAC shared the top tip as part of the Met Office’s Weather Ready advice, stating: “In very cold weather, you can prevent your windscreen wipers getting stuck to the glass by putting something under them like a thin piece of plastic, cardboard, newspaper or even some old socks.
“If the wipers can’t move, the circuit can overheat causing a fuse to blow. Also, make sure you top up with a good quality screenwash which protects down to at least -10C and have some de-icer on hand in the house, not frozen inside a car you can’t open.”
