Demist windscreen quickly with shaving foam hack & top tips on clearing condensation

Learning to defrost your windscreen is a must in the colder months but even after thawing your vehicle's visor, you'll likely be left with a lot of condensation in desperate need of demisting. Fortunately, car experts at RAC have come up with a few genius hacks to get your window clear quickly and safely.

Much like your windows at home, car windscreens mist up as water vapour starts to circulate from inside. The main culprit is the human body, mainly breath and body temperature, and while frustrating, it can be a quick job to sort.

With the Met Office issuing snow and ice weather warnings across the UK, drivers are likely to face misty windscreens in the coming weeks. So if you're in a rush and need to clear your windscreen in seconds, here's some top tips for delisting your windscreen this winter.

How to demist your windscreen

When you find mist is forming on your windscreen, it can be easy to start wiping at it in a panic but this will only leave you with stubborn water stains in your view. Instead, the best way to demist the windscreen quickly and safely is to keep calm and follow the tips below.

Dry out the air before increasing heat

You might be tempted to whack the heater on full blast but this might just compound the problem. According to RAC, it's better to start the heater off cold, then slowly increase the temperature as the air dries out.

With the heater's blast directed at the windscreen, slowly increase the temperature and find an ideal warmth which isn't just overloading the cabin with hot water vapour. This step will ensure your windscreen is fully cleared before you set off but you might want to opt for a quicker option if you're stuck for time.

Use your windows

Let's be real, owning a car is expensive. In fact, more young people are being costed out of driving than ever before. It's not uncommon for drivers' heater and air-con to be out of action when you're financially not in a position to rectify the problem.

In this instance, having the windows down could actually help clear the screen faster, RAC says. The aim of the game is to reduce the amount of water vapour inside the car and the dry, cold air from outside will help do the trick.  

Rolling down the window can also help stop your window from misting back up as your driving. It's important to remember that if the mist starts to impair your visibility whilst driving, you should pull over where safe to do so and wait for your windows to clear.

Switch on air-con

If your car has air conditioning make sure it is switched on, according to RAC. Paired with your heater, the air-con will help keep the hot air which is heating up the windscreen dry.

Shaving foam hack

This handy life hack can be done now to prevent mist from building up in the future. According to RAC, cleaning your windscreen with shaving foam regularly creates a protective barrier against mist and is even used by ice hockey players to stop their face masks from steaming up.

This protective barrier won't last forever and may need to be repeated regularly, but a windscreen cleaned with shaving foam will be less likely to mist up. Drivers should take a clean towel and add a generous amount of shaving foam onto it.

Once armed with your foamy towel, wipe the windscreen and spread the shaving foam over the entire surface. Follow this up by wiping off the shaving foam with a separate clean towel.