"Green" Winter Windscreen De-icer Clearer????

skylight

What can I use rather than buying the spray de-icer? I have no idea whats in it, but it whiffs a lot and cant be good.

We park the cars on the main road, so covering the windows with plastic is not good (will be pinched!) And plain water is out as our neighbour is actually an old peoples home and I cannot have the paths or road just off the pathway, freezing.

Could I use just water perhaps and sprinkle salt onto the water to prevent it freezing perhaps?? What sort of salt? Would it work?

jackieb

I heard that if you wipe vinegar over your windscreen the night before it will stop your windows from frosting up.

I just use an ice scraper. The kind that is attached to a glove with a wooly lining.

I wouldn't use salt. It might corrode your paintwork.

JonnyA_2

Hi,
Salty water isn't such a good idea. It will make your car as rusty as anything in no time at all...
if you do use water, make sure it is only warm to hot, never use boiling water...
I have seen a windscreen crack from the sudden change in temp!
Most de-icer is alcohol based but I think that pouring Smirnoff over your car is a sin!
Jonny

Savvy_Sue

charlotte664 wrote:

And plain water is out as our neighbour is actually an old peoples home and I cannot have the paths or road just off the pathway, freezing.

You don't actually need much water to do it: if you put it in an empty plastic bottle with a sports top and sort of squirt it out, I'd be surprised if any ended up on the road.

brassmonkey001

Definately avoid salt. It WILL corrode your car in no time. And only use cool to lukewarm water because if you have even a tiny crack or stonechip that you haven't noticed, hot water will cause it to grow. The water doesn't have to be hot at all, just warmer than ice i.e. runny not solid!
I never use de-icer, it always leaves a smeary film on the screeen and eats away at your wiper rubbers.
Use a scraper, and inside the car always have the heater set to blow air to the windows rather than straight at you or to your feet. If you're cold wear a hat.

Or use a bike like me! :cool:

Alfie_E

charlotte664 wrote:

What can I use rather than buying the spray de-icer? I have no idea whats in it, but it whiffs a lot and cant be good.

De-icers are normally based on alcohol. There are two sorts. There are things like ethylene glycol. These are diols – effectively “double alcohols”. Ethylene glycol is used in anti-freeze, and is very toxic. Propylene glycol is generally considered safe. Then, there are “regular” alcohols: methanol; ethanol, the alcohol in drinks; propanol, the stuff used in sterilising hospital wipes, also known as rubbing alcohol; etc. Of these, only methanol is really poisonous. We’re all accustomed to how toxic ethanol is. Propanol is more toxic than ethanol, but safe in a similar way to propylene glycol. Although, you have to remember how flammable it is.

Ethylene glycol is near odourless. Propylene glycol is odourless. Both are colourless. So any smell and colour in products using these come from additives, possibly to deliberately given them colour and odour. You probably recognise the smell of ethanol. Propanol is similar, but does have a distinct smell. If you have a really pongy de-icer, it’s probably got propanol in it.

If you’re concerned about what else might be in an ethanol/propanol-based de-icer, you can go out and get pure propanol. You should easily be able to get it from a pharmacist’s, and it shouldn’t be that expensive. There are actually two versions of propanol. What you want is called either propan-2-ol, isopropyl alcohol, or isopropanol.

Propan-2-ol is generally pretty useful stuff, and I wouldn’t be without it. Mmm... does that line make me sound sad? Anyway, see, Isopropyl 'Rubbing' Alcohol - 1,001+ uses in the home. It’s really good as a cleaner, as it doesn’t leave any residue. I tend to dilute it down with distilled/purified water.

gromituk

The greenest thing is to cover the windscreen. You don't need expensive covers - any old thing should do. So it's not likely to get stolen.

Ken-Dodds-Hairy-Knodule

Alfie_E wrote:

You should easily be able to get it from a pharmacist’s, and it shouldn’t be that expensive.

I know of a few pharmacists who won't sell it anymore, as they claim the "new licensing laws" won't allow them to. Yet some pharmacists still sell and say they don't know what the others are talking about.

Seakay

"If you’re concerned about what else might be in an ethanol/propanol-based de-icer, you can go out and get pure propanol. You should easily be able to get it from a pharmacist’s, and it shouldn’t be that expensive. There are actually two versions of propanol. What you want is called either propan-2-ol, isopropyl alcohol, or isopropanol."

What sort of price is it, and is there anywhere to look to find out how much to dilute it by for various tasks?

Ken-Dodds-Hairy-Knodule

Seakay wrote:

What sort of price is it, and is there anywhere to look to find out how much to dilute it by for various tasks?

At pharmacists it is quite expensive - £5-£7 for 500ml of 70% ipa.

Piercing supplies places sell it for around £10-£15 for 5litre bottles, as do some places that sell PC hardware (it's used to clean electrical products).

I can't help with the diluting, sorry - I know 70% is the concentration used to disinfect - 90/99% is too high and anything below is also worthless.

gazhawkins

How about methylated spirits (99% alcohol) as a de-icer? Also makes a good bottle wash additive (smells lovely when you use it too).

Available at hardware shops, some chemists and cheapjack shops - about 1.75 for 500ml.

Just don't drink it as methanol is added to make it taste bad (methanol is poisonous to humans)!