When you drive in the winter, you have to deal with a lot of foggy windshields.
What’s the best way to make that fog go away?
Some people will tell you to blast the heat, others to turn on the air conditioning.
And when should you just hit that “defrost” button instead?
Yes, you’re able to do both at once.
If you have a dial that adjusts temperature, put it on the hottest setting.
Then look around for a button that turns the AC on or off.
Click it so its on.
Some cars have a button that does everything for you.
The fog is on theoutsideof your windshield, so you could just wipe it away.
What is the difference between defrosting and defogging?
OK, some definitions.Fogis made of tiny droplets of water that have condensed onto the windshield.
You’ll find this anytime you have a difference in temperature between two sides of the glass.
The fog forms on the warmer side (which is the inside of your car, in winter).
Frost, on the other hand, is a layer of ice.
Treat this the same as fog.
Therear defrost buttonin your car heats up a set of wires embedded in the glass.
They melt the ice on the back window.
It’s both a defogger and a defroster.
Check your car’s manual for specifics on what options your car has and how they work.
The fog on your windshield accumulates for the same reasons as a cold drink sweating on a hot day.
This means that in winter, youll get condensation from the warm indoor air onto the still-cold windshield.
In summer, its the opposite.
A/C dries up the fog that isalreadythere
So why isnt heat alone enough to do the job?
But more importantly, you need todefog the windshield, not just prevent future fog.
Thats why you turn on the air conditioning.
Air conditioners dont just chill the air; they dry it out.
When you initiate the heat and the A/C at the same time, you get hot, dry air.
This starts warming the windshield while also drying up the moisture.
Put the AC and heat on full blast, and often the whole windshield will clear up in seconds.
But the air conditioning will usually do the same job quicker, without making your entire car cold.
So I’d stick with the A/C.
If youve tracked a lot of snow and slush into the car, clean it out.
you might also start warming up the windshield before its time to drive.
If you have a remote starter, great!
Put the heat on the windshield while you brush and scrape the outside.
And finally, consider cleaning the inside of your windshield, because clean glass doesnt fog as easily.
Use a proper glass cleaner like Windex.
