Winter mornings can be tough, especially when spent scraping ice off your car windscreen in the dark. 

So don’t make them harder for yourself by causing cracks in your glass and needing to get the windscreen replaced just because you failed to de-ice your car the right way. 

To help you remove snow and ice from your windscreen safely, follow our tips. 

DO NOT pour boiling water on the glass

Everyone knows heat melts ice, so if you’re in a rush to get to work, it can be tempting to pour a kettle of boiling water on to the windscreen to clear it quickly. However, doing this is almost guaranteed to cause cracks in the glass due to the huge temperature change. 

DO NOT pour salt on your windscreen

Although salt is great for gritting the roads, it is not a good idea to put it on the windscreen to melt the ice.

Speaking to Popular Science, driving safety expert Mike Sample said: “Although salt is good for the pavement, it will erode the car paint and metal, and damage the vehicle.” 

DO NOT use metal scrapers

If you’ve been shovelling snow out of the way in your driveway, it can be easy to just use the same tool on your car and windscreen, but this is a bad idea. Metal can leave scratches on the vehicle’s body and glass, so stick with plastic scrapers instead. 

DO NOT use too much vinegar when de-icing

A vinegar solution of one part water to three parts vinegar can help de-ice the car and prevent the ice from refreezing on the windscreen. However, it is important not to rely on this formula too much, as too much vinegar can cause the vehicle’s protective layer to deteriorate.

To prevent this, it is sensible to wash and wax the car regularly.