For those who live in the North, icy windshields is a typical problem during the cold winter months. When you're in a hurry, waiting for windows to unfreeze or defrost can be frustrating. Fortunately, an antifreeze mixture can be used to expedite the melting of the ice. Only a few household ingredients need to be added to the antifreeze to turn it into a defroster.
Create a mixture of water and antifreeze in the spray bottle. The ratio should be 60 percent antifreeze to 40 percent water. For example, if you want to make 10 ounces of solution, 6 ounces should be antifreeze and 4 ounces should be water. Make sure not to fill the spray bottle all the way as you will be adding another ingredient. Any type of antifreeze will do, but a propylene-based antifreeze lasts longer and is less toxic.
Pour in dishwashing detergent. The dish detergent should be in a ratio of 10 to 1 to the solution. For every 10 ounces of solution, add in 1 ounce of dish detergent. Dish detergent will help the melted ice to be more easily scraped, or sloughed, off the windshield.
Leave the solution to settle overnight. Do not let the solution become too hot, or over 80 degrees, as the difference in the temperature of the ice and solution can cause the windshield to crack.
Spray the solution onto the icy windshield. Apply solution to any part of windshield or windows that are iced and then let it sit for a minute or two. The ice will melt relatively quickly so that you can remove it.
