How To Keep Ice Off Your Windshield Without Causing Damage

Do you dread having to scrape ice off your windshield during winter months? Having to remove ice from your windshield early in the morning can not only be annoying but can also be a major inconvenience, especially when temperatures are extremely low and you have to leave for work before the sun rises and had a chance to melt off the ice.

The good news is that you don’t have to fight with removing ice on your windshield anymore if you know how to prevent the ice from forming in the first place! Here are a few tips on how to keep ice off your windshield safely without endangering the safety of your vehicle’s windshield or metal parts.

Treat Your Windshield With An Anti-Icing Spray

To prevent ice from forming on your windshield, you can apply an anti-icing spray to your windshield and to any other windows on your vehicle where you don’t want ice to form. As an added bonus, treating your windows in this way will also make rain glide right off of your windows, making it easier to see through the windshield during heavy rain.

It’s important to note that you will need to apply this solution before the storm hits, because your windshield will need to be clean and dry before applying the solution. If the storm has already hit and your windshield is covered in snow and ice, you’ll need to go the old-fashioned route and use a scraper to remove the ice.

Step 1: Clean Off Your Windshield

Before you apply the anti-icing spray, make sure your windshield is clean and free of any dirt, bugs, leaves or debris on the window. If there’s not much to clean off, try turning on your car, spraying windshield wiper fluid, and using your wipers to wipe it off.

If there is a lot of dirt or bug remains on your windshield, you can start by spraying windshield washer fluid on the window, let it sit until the debris is soft, then try to wipe off as much of the dirt and bug remains as possible using your windshield wiper blades or a soft cloth. For stubborn dirt, try NeverWet’s Glass Cleaner solution.

Make sure there’s no remaining dirt or moisture before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Spray Your Windshield With Anti-Icing Solution

After you’ve made sure your windshield is clean, apply an anti-icing solution to treat your windshield. We recommend NeverWet’s Rain Repellant.

If applying NeverWet Rain Repellant, start by putting on gloves to protect your hands. Spray the solution onto a paper towel or clean cloth, and buff the windshield with the cloth, using a steady circular motion. The solution on the windshield should look slightly hazy. Continue reapplying solution to the cloth or towel to ensure a full, consistent coat. Once the entire windshield is buffed, wait for 5 minutes to let it set in.

After 5 minutes, use a clean dry paper towel or cloth to buff off the solution, once again using a circular motion.

Wait another 5 minutes, and then repeat those steps – buff the solution onto the windshield, wait 5 minutes, then buff it off.

After a total of 2 cycles, you’re finished! Please note that it will take at least 10 minutes for the treatment to fully dry, so it’s important to not use the windshield wipers or get any water in contact with the windshield until the solution is fully dried.

If you’re looking for how to keep ice off your windshield in the most effective way possible, using an anti-icing spray is the winner! That said, if that’s not an option for you, keep reading for our #2 recommendation.

Use A Windshield Cover The Night Before

If you didn’t have time to apply an anti-icing solution before a winter storm hits, then you can use a windshield cover instead.

Ideally, cover your windshield with a cover before the storm begins. Most covers attach to each of the side mirrors and can be held down on top by opening and closing the driver’s and passenger’s doors on the flaps that extend from the cover.

If the storm has already begun before you had a chance to apply the cover, then brush or scrape off any snow or ice from the windshield first, and apply the cover as quickly as possible to prevent snow or ice from staying under the windshield.

Once the storm is over, for best results, we recommend brushing off the top of your vehicle before removing the windshield cover. That way, snow from the roof doesn’t slide down onto the windshield.

If it was very windy and some snow and ice got under the cover, start your car and turn on full heat with the air conditioner setting turned on (to prevent foggy windows), and with defrost on to melt ice on the windows. Then use a scraper to manually remove ice that remains.

Beware Of Homemade Anti-Ice Concoctions (Avoid Vinegar & Hot Water!)

There are a number of websites and news sources talking about homemade solutions that can prevent snow and ice buildup on windshields, and we’ve noticed a lot of people ask, “Does vinegar prevent ice on windshield?”

Technically, yes it can. Proponents suggest mixing equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spraying it on the windshield as an ice prevention method. The theory is that However, it’s not as effective as some other methods that we shared above, and more importantly, the vinegar is acidic and can eat away at scratches and scuffs in the windshield. Worse yet, if you apply too much vinegar solution, it can get onto the paint in the car and corrode it.

Another DIY method some sources recommend is pouring boiling water over the car’s windshield to melt the snow and ice. DO NOT ever do that, as the extreme differences in temperature can cause your windshield to crack. Windshield replacement is not cheap!

In the end, the best way to keep snow and ice off your windshield is to either use an anti-icing spray that’s designed specifically for windshields, or use a windshield cover before the storm begins.