February 8th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

On a winter’s morning, there are few things more frustrating than having to sit and wait for your windscreen to clear before you can set off – especially if you’re running late. This fogging is caused by warm moist air, from your body and breath, hitting the cold glass of the windscreen and windows. You may know that warm air can carry more moisture, and when it cools rapidly, that moisture gets released. This is what causes condensation to appear.

Don’t worry though as there are a few tricks you can use to clear it quickly, and even help prevent it from happening. Here are the dos and don’ts of stopping your car windows from steaming up:

Dos

Here are a few things you can do to both minimise and resolve window fog.

Open your windows

It might be cold outside but opening your windows will allow the warm, moist air from inside the car to escape.

Use your heater

Start with the blower on full but the temperature cool. This will still be warmer than the glass itself but won’t blast warm, moist air onto it, which can just make it worse.

Turn on the air conditioning

Air conditioning will help to dry the air. If you have a climate control system, use that.

Keep windows clean

The foggy effect is made worse by the water in the air mixing with particles of dirt on the glass. Essentially, it’s like looking into a bucket of dirty water. The more dirt there is, the harder it gets to see through it. While you can’t keep every particle of dust off your windscreen, regularly cleaning the inside of the glass will help reduce the fogging effect.

Apply shaving foam to the glass

This may seem like an odd suggestion but the detergent in shaving foam helps stop water from beading. Just use a little on a clean cloth and rub over the interior surface of the glass then buff off with a clean, dry cloth. This will give the glass a protective barrier against moisture (did you know that ice hockey players use this on their face masks?) but you will need to repeat it periodically.

Use a dehumidifier

You can buy car dehumidifier packs to leave in the car that will absorb moisture from the air using silica gel, but did you know that you can achieve the same results with some cat litter stuffed in an old sock or pair of tights? Simply leave it in the car and replace it every month or so. You might find it’s a much cheaper alternative!

Don’ts

As well as a few things you can do to deal with fogging, there are a few you shouldn’t as well:

Blast with hot air

As already mentioned, start with cool air from your heater as hot air will just compound the problem. Slowly build the heat up.

Recirculate the air

Use the air conditioning but not the recirculation mode as this will keep warm, moist air circulating around the interior of the car.

Wipe the window

It’s tempting when in a hurry to just grab a cloth or sponge and wipe the condensation away. This is counterproductive as the warm air from your breath will just steam it up again, plus you’re likely to smear the surface and that could impair visibility.

Leave damp items in the car

Anything that’s wet or even just slightly damp will increase the amount of moisture inside the car. This can include things like umbrellas, coats, boots, and dog towels. If you can’t remove them entirely, put them in the boot to lessen their impact.