Brrr, that's it, winter is here! This morning, when I woke up, the weather forecast already announced -5°C!!!
I could almost hear my car shivering in the garage...
Every winter, I promise myself to organize myself and prepare a list of essential tips for dealing with winters.
Well, this year, it's done!
And a little novelty this year: the obligation equip your car with winter tyres (or to have chains in your trunk) to be able to ride without a certain number of departments.
Without further ado, I invite you to discover my list of the best tips to help your car face the winter:
1. During cold seasons, windshields and car windows are constantly covered with fog. And driving in these conditions, you risk an accident...
To quickly remove fog from your car windows, use a blackboard brush , like this one.
Keep this brush in your car, to have it handy as soon as your windows start to fog up.
2. The other trick is to roll down the windows . Fresh air will flow into your car and quickly remove fog from the windows.
3. Apply some shaving foam on the inside of your car's windshield and windows. Then wipe off the suds with a clean cloth.
Shaving foam contains the same ingredients as most commercial anti-fog products. It leaves a thin film that prevents fog from forming on your windows .
4. Another method is to fill an old stocking with cat litter . In the evening, put this stocking in your car to prevent fogging.
5. In the evening, before turning off the engine of your car, open all the windows to let in fresh air from the outside.
Fresh air is much drier and will replace the air you breathed in the car, which contains more humidity.
6. Never leave bottles of water or other beverages in your car, as the inside of the windows will frost over.
7. By the way, did you know that turning on the air conditioning in your car is one of the best methods to remove fog from windows?
The air conditioning system's compressor is particularly effective at extracting moisture from the air .
8. I know a bunch of people who swear by this trick! During the winter, remember to keep a big pair of socks in your glove compartment.
Then you just have to put them on OVER your shoes .
That way, if you have to push your car stuck on ice, the socks will give you better stability .
This is also true if you have to walk in the snow for some reason.
Putting a spare pair of socks in your glove compartment is a handy little thing that doesn't take up much space and is really inexpensive!
And what's more, if you don't have anything else on hand, the socks can also be used as a cloth.
10. Socks are also useful for protecting your windshield wipers . To protect them from the snow during the evening, raise the blades of your windshield wipers and put on an old pair of socks over them.
Another advantage:the next morning, defrost your windshield will be even easier.
11. Pass a soft cloth soaked in 90° alcohol on the blades of your windscreen wipers. The alcohol will prevent the wipers from sticking to the windshield.
Thanks to this trick, they will work properly even on the coldest days of the year.
12. Your car windows are covered in frost and you can't find your anti-frost squeegee?
Do not panic, there is an easy trick to improvise. If you are at home, use a spatula to scrape off the frost of your windshield.
And if you're not at home, take a plastic card out of your wallet. There you go, hopefully you'll never forget your anti-frost squeegee again :-)
13. If possible, remember to park your carfacing the east as often as possible. Why ? The sun rises in the east, everyone knows that.
Its rays will naturally defrost the windows your car and do the work for you.
With this trick, end the painful task of scratching your windshield every morning in the cold!
Thanks to this trick, your windshield wipers will have enough force to remove the rest of the frost melted by the sun :-)
14. When parking the car facing east isn't possible (or there isn't enough sun to melt the frost), try this homemade recipe.
In a spray bottle, mix 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part water.
Before going to bed, spray this mixture on your windshield. This prevents frost from forming overnight.
The next morning, no frost on the car windows!
15. Do you know the homemade recipe for windshield washer fluid?
It's SUPER easy and I bet you already have all the ingredients at home! Click here to discover the recipe.
There are several solutions to the annoying problem of frozen car doors and handles:
16. Warm up your car key with matches or a lighter .
Then, insert the heated key into the lock, exerting slight pressure, to melt the frost .
Just be careful not to burn yourself when handling your key, as it will be hot.
17. The other solution is to use a simple plastic straw to blow air directly into the lock of your car.
You will see:the hot air from your breath will melt the frost in no time.
18. Do you have hydroalcoholic hand gel at home? So, rub a dab of this disinfectant gel on the key or the door handle of your car.
As its name suggests, hydroalcoholic gel contains alcohol. This one will quickly melt the frost and help you unlock your door .
19. Before winter arrives, remember to apply a little lubricating oil in the lock of your car, such as WD-40 oil.
Thanks to this preventive trick, the oil will prevent frost from forming in the lock.
20. To prevent frost from forming on your car's exterior mirrors, cover them with freezer bags .
Use a thick rubber band or clothespins to hold the bags securely in place. In the morning, remove the freezer bags.
And you will see that the mirrors of your rear view mirrors will have no trace of frost !
21. In winter, weather conditions are often harsh. Therefore, it is essential not to drive with headlights dulled by wear.
The solution is to apply toothpaste to your headlights and rinse them with hot water. This trick will increase visibility of your headlights, and this in a drastic way.
And above all, this little thing costs MUCH less than commercial headlight cleaning kits. Check out the trick here.
22. For even more visibility, apply a coat of car wax to your headlights, after cleaning them with toothpaste.
The wax will prevent snow and water from adhering to the headlights for several weeks.
23. During cold seasons, remember to wash your car regularly . In the long term, the use of anti-freeze and anti-icing products on the roads can damage your car.
How to easily remove dirt, salt and large piles of snow or ice under your car? Just use an oscillating lawn sprinkler.
Wait for a milder temperature and place the sprinkler under your car. Then move the car forward and backward.
You must place it above the sprinkler for a good quick and deep cleaning . You'll see, this trick works wonders.
24. As soon as it starts to snow, keep a big bag or two of kitty litter in your trunk. Choose the largest inexpensive format, such as these 20 l bags.
The weight of the bags will help the rear tires grip the road better... Which is perfect for rear-wheel-drive cars!
And what's more, if one day your car really gets stuck in the snow, cat litter is perfect for increasing tire grip .
All you need to do is pour a good layer of litter under the tires. Do not forget to also put some under your feet, so as not to fall. Another precautionary measure:keep a small folding shovel in the trunk in your car, like this one.
25. One last trick to unlock your car from the snow? Use floor mats of your car. Put floor mats in front of the wheels to increase their grip on icy surfaces. But don't forget to collect the mats once your car is unlocked :-)
And finally…
Do not forget the obligation to equip your car with winter tires entry into force since November 1, 2021.
Discover here all the areas concerned by this obligation to put on snow tires or to have chains or non-slip snow socks:Alps, Corsica, Massif Central, Jura mountains, Pyrenees, Vosges mountains.
If all goes well for you this winter, you won't resort to this trick. But, if necessary, it could indeed save your life !
The bonus tip:
- Undo the zipper of a winter coat.
- Then, put warm clothes inside the coat (thick socks, spare underwear, hat, gloves, scarf and ski pants).
- Close the zipper of the coat, and voila! Now in case of an emergency you have a spare clothing kit which takes up almost no space.
During the winter, if you plan to travel away from a built-up area, I strongly advise you to bring with you some survival essentials.
To complete your survival kit, you can also add:
- a candle and matches (to heat and light your car)
- a warm blanket
- a charged mobile phone
- hand and foot warmers
- a flashlight
- a bottle of water
- high protein snacks
There you go, with all these tricks, your car will easily survive extreme winter conditions!
