We all know it’s winter, right? If you don’t know, well, then I am concerned about where you spend your time and how you are alive right now. Anyway, it’s winter! And with winter comes frozen windshield season, which is my least favorite time of the year because I hate scraping my windshield with a burning passion. That is why I am sharing these tips on de-icing your windshield quickly without scratching your glass, so that if you are like me, you will not hate the mornings quite as much.

So, the easiest thing to do is go out and turn on your defrosters a little before you know you need to leave. Get up, get dressed, go outside and turn on the defrosters, and then come back in and get your breakfast and your bag together and by the time you’re back outside, it should be a bit more thawed.

If you are not that good at time management (I am so horrible at it, don’t feel bad) then make sure you have a good plastic scraper on hand. Never never ever scrape with something metal! Get that defroster going full blast and, yes, scrape.

Finally, you can make a spray-on solution of one part rubbing alcohol and two parts water to spray on an icy windshield. Keep the solution in a spray bottle in your house, and bring it out on chilly mornings. Spray it on, wait a minute or two, and then run your wipers. No more ice!

If your locks and doors are frozen, don’t use a flame (i.e. a lighter) or hot water to try and melt the ice. Cold water is what works best (it’s warmer than ice, obviously, but not so hot it’ll break your lock mechanism). You can also use the alcohol solution for this.

Best of luck – is it summer yet??