Defrosting your car on a frosty morning can be a real chore, but everyone has their own little trick to make it quicker, from scraping the ice to using deicer or even a special button. Now, one TikToker has shared his clever hack that “saves time” with just a carrier bag and hot water.
Mark Brown, who has a hefty following of over 1.8 million on his account @rightguysreview, showed off the technique in a video that’s racked up more than 11,000 likes and 200,000 views. In the clip, Mark shares: “Right guys, why am I only finding this hack out now? ” He then details the process: “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.”
However, viewers have cautioned against this method in the comments, and a car expert has warned that it could cause significant damage if not done properly.
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Mark expressed his gratitude with the words: “Thank you for whoever made this hack – this has saved me time and energy. Thank you very much.”
While the trick received a lot of praise, some users voiced the same cautionary advice. One warned: “Make sure it’s not too hot, need to be warm or else can crack your screen.”, reports the Mirror.
Raising concerns about the popular windshield de-icing technique involving warm water in a plastic bag, Dorry Potter from National Scrap Car shared her insights with The Express, cautioning: “A hack that circulates every year is using warm water in a zip lock bag and rubbing it on the windscreen.”
She went on to stress the risks of applying anything warm to a windscreen, noting that “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.”
On the topic of alternative de-icing methods, Ms. Potter added her perspective by saying: “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.”