Even when you’re not in a rush, foggy windows seem to take an eternity to de-fog. If you’re tired of the traditional way to defog your car windows (using your controls in your car), it’s time to raid your pantry or your pet supplies.
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Defogging with spuds
There are plenty of ways to prepare potatoes for eating — mashed, baked, fried, and roasted. But, when it comes to defogging your car windows, a potato or two in its raw form works best. The only thing to remember, though, when reaching for a spud to defog your windows is that it won’t work if your windows are already foggy. According to First for Women writer Melanie Aman, you’ll need to plan ahead if you want to try the potato-defogging method.
To get started, she says you’ll need a clean, raw potato cut in half. Focusing on the outside of your car’s windshield, take the cut side of the potato and wipe it across the surface in long, smooth strokes. If you see starchy streaks, be sure to remove them. Once the potato half you’re using dries up, switch to the other half.
“Let the potato juice dry. This residue will create a barrier between your windshield and the elements, keeping the glass underneath fog-free,” writes Aman.
Defogging with cat litter
Now, you’ve probably heard that keeping a bag of cat litter in your trunk is an emergency kit must-have for winter driving. If your tires need extra traction to get unstuck from snow or ice, cat litter can be an economical and useful tool. Turns out, according to Aman, cat litter is also useful in defogging your car windows.
“Just as the litter absorbs moisture in your cat’s litter box, so too will it suck up extra moisture in your car, preventing fog from ever forming on your windows,” according to Aman.
Plus, using cat litter to help defog your windows doesn’t require any elbow grease. She says all you need to do is fill a sock that’s free from holes with a cup or two of cat litter, tie it at the top, and place it on your dashboard.
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These de-fogging tips might seem unconventional, but sometimes an unconventional approach is what you need to fix a time-consuming problem.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.