Defrosting your car in the early hours of the morning is a gruelling task, but one that is unavoidable in freezing cold temps.
Every household has its own trick to speed up the process in the bitter cold, whether it be scraping the ice, spraying deicer or pressing that handy magic button. And now one man shared his savvy-looking hack to TikTok, which “saves time” and requires nothing but a carrier bag and hot water.
TikToker Mark Brown, who boasts more than 1.8 million followers on his account @rightguysreview, demonstrated the method in a viral clip. However, lots of viewers issued a warning in the comments section, and a motoring expert has explained why it may cause serious damage if not done correctly.
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In his video, which has over 11,000 likes and 200,000 views, Mark explains to viewers how the tip cuts out the numerous freezing cold trips of running back and forth from the house to your motor. The TikToker questioned: “Right guys, why am I only finding this hack out now?”
He explained: “Stick the kettle on, get a plastic bag, put some cold water in it, put your boiling water in from your kettle. Watch you don’t burn yourself. Grab your bag, make sure it’s not leaking, and run to your frozen car. Stick it straight onto the glass and like magic, it’s defrosting.”
Mark continued: “Thank you for whoever made this hack – this has saved me time and energy. Thank you very much.” While many people praised the hack, some users issued the same warning. One person said: “Make sure it’s not too hot, need to be warm or else can crack your screen.”
Dorry Potter, an expert at National Scrap Car, has raised some concerns against this nifty trick, which has the potential to cause serious damage. Ms Potter told The Express: “A hack that circulates every year is using warm water in a zip lock bag and rubbing it on the windscreen.
“Motorists are advised to be cautious when applying anything heated to their windscreen as the dramatic change in temperature can cause small cracks to appear in the glass which can cause the screen to shatter when another bout of frost arrives. Drivers should never use boiling water either. Similarly, homemade concoctions should be used with care too.”
Offering up her opinions on other popular de-icing hacks, the expert added: “Using items such as a potato or onion to clear frost could leave smears or a residue on the screen which in turn could reduce the driver’s visibility, making it just as dangerous as frost to drive. It may be more sensible to stick with a deicing spray instead.”
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