Car button trick quickly defrosts windscreen in minutes – no scraping

The freezing weather means defrosting your car has become a daily chore, but there’s a little-known button combination that could get you on the road far quicker than scraping away at the windscreen for 20 minutes each morning with a credit card (which, incidentally, is seriously not recommended).

This method doesn’t involve pouring water of any temperature onto your windscreen either. Instead, it simply requires sitting in your vehicle and pressing a specific sequence of buttons until the glass is completely clear and safe to drive.

“Here is the best way to defrost your windscreen according to a former NASA engineer,” explained a representative from @eden_tyres_and_servicing on TikTok.

As soon as you’re in the vehicle, to kickstart the defrosting process, you should “turn on the car heater immediately and put it at full blast”.

Following this, you need to “turn on the car’s air conditioning,” which will “help soak up the remainder of any moisture inside”.

The next step is to “turn off the car’s air circulation button” as leaving it on “traps the humidity,” which is counterproductive.

Finally, this step is “slightly unexpected,” – it involves opening your windows. You needn’t wind them down completely; just cracking them open slightly will allow fresh air into the vehicle, which helps balance the interior and exterior temperatures because the air is “drier” outside the car.

Upon completing these steps, you’ll be rewarded with a “nice defrosted windscreen,” eliminating the risk of being pulled over for unsafe driving. If found driving with an improperly defrosted or foggy windscreen, you could face fines and points on your licence, so it’s not worth taking the chance.

In the comments section, one user suggested: “Also put your sun visors down – traps more of the hot air against the screen.”

Another recommended investing in “a windscreen cover” to prevent frost from reaching the windscreen, ensuring a clear view when removed in the morning.

The RAC explains: “The cause of your car windscreen misting up is actually down to water vapour in the atmosphere that occurs when your body heats the air inside the cabin, as does your breath, increasing the amount of moisture it can hold.”

They suggest a similar approach to quickly prepare for the road, advising to first turn on the heating, “slowly increasing the temperature”.

Next, use the air-conditioning to “keep the atmosphere dry,” and consider cracking the windows slightly.

“If there’s a handy setting for demisting your windscreen, then use it,” the RAC advised.