It is tempting to drive away immediately when you get in your car, especially when you are late for an appointment. However, in the winter particularly, windscreens sometimes tend to mist up. This happens when the glass is colder than the air inside the vehicle and moisture in the air condenses on the cold glass. It is important to get rid of the mist and keep the windscreens clear to maintain good visibility to avoid accidents. There are a few things you can do to help prevent your windscreens from misting up in the first place, but always keep a microfiber cloth in the car to clear the screen if necessary before driving.

  • It is tempting to drive away immediately when you get in your car, especially when you are late for an appointment.
  • There are a few things you can do to help prevent your windscreens from misting up in the first place, but always keep a microfiber cloth in the car to clear the screen if necessary before driving.

Spray the inside of your windscreen with anti-mist products like Rain X Anti-Fog, Mer All Clear Anti-Fog or PermaClear Stay Clear Anti-Mist. Using one of these kind of products may be enough to stop your screen misting up.

Smear a layer of shampoo or dish soap on the inside of the windscreen if you haven't got any anti-mist product available or don't want to fork out for an extra product when you can make do with one you already have. Shampoo or dish soap does a good job of keeping your windscreen free of mist.

Push the button to activate the rear demist function in the vehicle. This function is usually used to warm the back windscreen to clear any mist there. However, if your vehicle starts to mist up and you start the rear demist function to warm the back windscreen, it will help prevent it misting in the first place.

Keep your air conditioning in working order. Using your air conditioning occasionally even in winter will keep the air inside your car dry, leaving less water to condense on the windscreens.

  • Smear a layer of shampoo or dish soap on the inside of the windscreen if you haven't got any anti-mist product available or don't want to fork out for an extra product when you can make do with one you already have.
  • Using your air conditioning occasionally even in winter will keep the air inside your car dry, leaving less water to condense on the windscreens.

TIP

In winter leave the house ten minutes earlier than in the summer to allow time for windscreen clearing.

WARNING

It is very dangerous to reverse without visibility, which will be very little if your back windscreen is not cleared of mist. Unfortunately, non-alcohol based windscreen cleaning products like SafeChem Crystal Glass Cleaner, or Mer Winscreen cleaner, can cause extra misting if they are not wiped off properly. Make sure you wipe cleaning products away completely, using methylated spirits to remove the residue, if necessary. Alternatively, use an alcohol-based cleaner like SafeChem Glassolve or Simoniz Glass Cleaner.