How To Get Ice Off Windshield With Water

Butler student Kirby Lawson reaches to start cleaning off his car, on Hampton Dr., after an overnight snowfall, Tuesday, January 6, 2015. He is originally from Chicago and had recently spent two hours defrosting his car because his doors were frozen shut. "So here in Indianapolis, I'd take the snow over the cold any day," he said.

An overnight storm that coated Central Indiana in a layer of ice has led to power outages, crashes and a growing number of school closures.

It also forced people to once again dig out the trusty snow brush and take part in the morning ritual of chipping the frozen shell from their vehicles before making their morning commute.

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No one enjoys doing it. But to make the process a little less painful, here are some tips from the AAA Motor Club about how to safely remove ice from your car without hurting yourself or your vehicle.

Defrost first, scrape second

To aid in the ice removal process, you should start your vehicle and allow the defroster to begin to work. And don't be shy, turn the heat up as high as it will go to melt the ice quicker.

"If your car has an automatic climate control system, simply set it to defrost," AAA said in a statement. "If your car is one of the few with an optional electrically-heated windshield, turn it on to rapidly clear ice from the glass."

Yeah, science!

Before you even begin scraping away at your windshield, there are a few household chemicals you can whip together to weaken ice.

If you prefer homemade solutions, mixing one part isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and two parts water and applying it to the ice with a spray bottle will help.

"The isopropyl alcohol sold in stores ranges from 50 to 90 percent purity. Higher purity provides a lower freezing point and better deicing capability," according to AAA. "A few drops of dish soap added to the mixture will act as a surfactant to help coat the ice more evenly."

Store it indoors and not in your car to make it more effective.

There are also commercial glass deicer sprays that can be purchased in stores.

"These products generally contain methanol, which is the best form of alcohol for deicing. However, like pretreatment sprays, they tend to cost up to $15 per quart and may contain pet-hazardous ethylene glycol," AAA says.

Use plastic, not metal

Always use a plastic scraper, the windshield wipers, a rubber squeegee or a soft bristle brush to remove ice from the glass. Never use metal scrapers, which can scratch the glass and damage wiper blades.

Prevent ice before it arrives

If you know ice is on the way, covering your windshield will work nearly as well. Use a tarp, large towel or old sheet can keep ice from accumulating. AAA suggests holding the cover in place using the wiper blades, weights, magnets or some other method so it will not blow off.

But they warn that dirty covers may damage your vehicle's paint, and that covers should only be used when little to no snowfall is expected.

"To aid in ice prevention and ease removal, some do it yourselfers soak cloth windshield covers in a solution of one tablespoon salt to one quart water," AAA says. "The damp cover can be stored in a plastic bag or container between uses."

You can also use a homemade windshield pretreatment made of three parts white vinegar to one part water. Apply the mix with a spray bottle the evening before and then wipe it off.

AAA says leaving the liquid on the glass doesn't help because its freezing point is just barely lower than that of water, and some glass professionals caution that extended exposure to liquid vinegar may cause micro pitting of the windshield glass.

Step away from the hot water!

It may seem look a good idea in your head, but dumping hot water on ice can crack glass by causing thermal shock. The same goes for room temperatures water. Don't do it.

"For the same reason, never try to melt ice with any type of torch," AAA says.

Experts also advise against trying to crack ice with a hammer or some other type of blunt object before scraping. Frozen windshields break much easier.

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at 317-444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack