And the other important tips
Fogged windows in the car are Mother Nature’s privacy glass. Particularly useful if your handbrake turns have the desired effect on your attractive fellow passenger and you’re not going anywhere for the time being, but quite annoying if you’re shivering in the car in the morning and just want to leave. And although it is one of the most common phenomena in the winter, surprisingly few people actually know what to do when things get foggy. In this article, we’ll explain the normal ways to prevent fogged windows in the car, and some extra tricks to make your life a little easier.
Fogged car windows: warm or cold air?
Still mean of your car. Nothing to do with the windows until you get in. But why do car windows fog up? It is moisture that settles on a cold pane, causing it to condense. Fluid that you exhale yourself, especially. And moisture that you take inside, for example through a wet coat or a wet haircut. The moisture that fogs up the window must evaporate. So turn on your heating right away and use warm air at fogged windows. Your heating will not be warm for the first few minutes, so you can then (when it is dry) drive with the window open a bit, so that the moist air can escape through the windows.
Air conditioning on or off with fogged windows?
if you have it, turn on the air conditioning when windows are fogged up. You don’t have to lower your temperature for this. So warm air and air conditioning on, that works best. The air conditioning blows dry air, which helps with demisting. Another handy tip, for those who really have no idea what all the buttons are for: that of the rear window heating has a square symbol, that of the windscreen is an arc. So make sure you have the right one. Or turn them both on, because chances are that your rear window participates just as much in fogging up.
Today there are many cars with heated windshields. This is great, because your windows are almost immediately free of moisture. If you have a plug-in hybrid or an electric car, make sure you have the car preheated while it is still at the charging station. As a result, you get into a warm car, the windows are not fogged up and it does not cost energy from the battery, which you can use to make kilometers.
Tips against fogged windows
To prevent condensation on the windows, it helps enormously to put as little moist things as possible in the car, or at least in the cabin. So try to put wet coats, umbrellas or wet sports clothes in the trunk. That already makes a difference. In addition, it makes a difference if the windows are clean. Clean them with a little water and dish soap and make sure everything is dry when you’re done.
In addition, it is useful to keep your car as moisture-free as possible. So check that nothing is leaking and remove things such as half-full cans of drinks from the car. A moisture absorber costs next to nothing, so you can put it in your car during the winter months. Often the moisture absorber needs to dry in the oven or something every now and then, so don’t forget that. Driving the first few meters with the windows open also helps. If it is really bad, you can put a chamois or tractor in the car, but we do not recommend driving with fogged up car windows at all. Of course, this also applies to the side windows.
There are many tips against fogged windows where people claim that you should use certain remedies. One remedy that seriously helps is toothpaste. You can smear it on the windshield and then scrub it off well. Shaving cream also seems to help quite a bit. Even better is just a bottle of stuff made especially for it, such as Rain-X Anti Fog (also called anti-fog, anti-fog or anti-fog). That will cost you less than a tenner and works very nicely.
Fine for fogged windows
You now know that you will be fined if you do not properly de-ice the windows. But the same goes for a fogged window. The fine for a fogged window is 230 euros. This applies to the windscreen and the front two side windows. According to the law, the rear window may be fogged up. Driving with mirrors in which you can’t see anything (for example because they are frozen) carries a fine of 140 euros.
