Although we all would like to park our cars in the garage, safe from all the snow and ice during the winter, it may not always be an option for many car owners. Especially for car owners who live in areas with heavy snow. When the snowstorm hits, it means that you need to clean the ice and snow off of your car before you can use it.

You don’t want snow flying off of your car while you are driving, since it can obstruct the vision of the other drivers, which is really dangerous (it is even illegal in some places). Clean your car thoroughly before driving on the road again. It is a tedious task, but here are some tips that can make your life a little easier during the winter.

Don’t Wait to Clean Your Car

After the snow, even if you don’t need to drive the car for a few days, it is still best practice to clean the car when the snow stops. If the temperature continues to stay cold, there is a high chance that it will turn into ice and make it harder to clean.

Always plan for more time than needed to clean the car. When you are going out in the cold, be sure to wear warm clothes and put on some gloves before you start working on the car.

Use Proper Equipment

The last thing you want is scratches on your car windows. Make sure you buy proper snow brushes and ice scrapers for the car windows so they don’t leave behind scratches. Only use the scrapers on the windows, not the vehicle itself because even though it won’t scratch the windows, it will scratch the car’s body.

When you lack anything adequate, a credit card will do the trick.

For snow accumulating on the top of the car, you should buy a proper snow broom. A snow broom has a larger brush and often has a handle that can bend in an angle, which makes it quicker to remove the snow.

Just make sure you don’t use anything that can damage the paint of the car, such as a snow shovel. Most brushes and brooms are not made for brushing snow because they have hard bristles, so they should not contact the car body itself.

Get something to stand on when you are trying to reach higher places.

Invest in a Cover for the Windshield

The next best thing to do when a garage isn’t available is to invest in a cover for the windshield. The windshield is often the hardest place to clean and putting a snow blanket or cover on the windshield before snowfall can drastically reduce the time needed to clean the car.

You simply need to pull the cover to remove the snow, and you don’t have to deal with the ice on the windshield.

Start from the Top of the Car

The top parts of the car and windshield can be hard to reach, which makes it tempting to clean off the bottom parts first, but to save you some trouble, always start from the top! When you start from the bottom, the snow from the top can slide down and you will need to clean the bottom parts again.

If there is a thick layer of snow, you can start with a snow broom to gently remove the top layer of the snow without touching the car to get as much snow off of the car as possible. Pull the snow broom in a vertical line to reduce any potential damage.

Leave the windshield for last, clean off the sides and the rear windows first. This gives the defroster more time to work so you don’t have to deal with completely frozen ice.

Avoid Using Hot or Boiling Water

You might think if something is frozen, the best thing to do is to put some hot water on it to help it melt faster, but this is not the case when you are trying to clean snow and ice off of your car. If you put hot water on the windshield, the sudden temperature change can crack or shatter the windshield.

You have to allow your windshield to gradually warm up. Start the car before you start cleaning and let the defroster do the work, check the tailpipe for any snow buildup.

Don’t Pull on the Windshield Wipers When Frozen

It is not necessary to pull up the windshield wipers before the snow, but some people might do it so they can clean the bottom parts of the windshield better.

However, if the windshield wipers are frozen, don’t pull on them because it can ruin the wipers if you use force to try and move them. Let the defroster unfreeze the wipers.

Put a Plastic Bag Over the Side Mirrors

Side mirrors can have snow and ice buildup on them as well, but you do not want to use a scraper because it can damage the mirrors.

If you know it is going to snow ahead of time, try using this plastic bag hack. Grab a couple of bags to cover the mirrors and add a rubber band on each side to secure the bags. This way, the snow will not accumulate on the mirrors, saving you some time to clean.

Make Sure Everything is Clean

After you clean the roof of the car and all the windows, make sure all other places are clean too. The headlights and taillights can sometimes have snow on them, so give them a gentle brush. Check the license plates too as they may also be covered in snow.

Work with a Professional for Frozen Pipe Water Damage

Your car is not the only thing that is exposed to the cold temperature in the winter, the pipes in your home can freeze too. Many property owners experience frozen pipe water damage during the winter, and it is important to take care of it immediately. If you spot any signs of a frozen pipe or pipe burst, find a professional water restoration company to assist you.

Professional water restoration companies have the equipment and knowledge to help both residential and commercial properties. Providing services from water extraction, repairs to dehumidification.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.