How to Demist Your Car

Demisting your windscreen is a must before you set off. The law states you must be able to see out of every window in your car. It is a legal requirement to have a clear view of the road before driving.

Failure to abide by this law could result in a fine, but more importantly it can put your life and others around you in serious danger.

The cause of your windscreen misting up is down to water vapour in the atmosphere condensing on the cold glass.

In the colder months, your car windows will mist up more often which can be very annoying. We've put together a short guide on how you can quickly demist your car.

Use the heater, correctly

You should start the heater off on a cold setting and slowly increase the temperature while the air dries out, instead of overloading the car with hot and wet air straight away.

Make sure your heater is blasted directly at your windscreen and windows, as this will heat up the glass and stop water vapour from condensing it again.

Use the air con (if your car has it)

If your car has air-con, switch it on as it removes moisture from the air in the cabin, and use it in conjunction with the heater as the hot air will dry the glass.

If your car windscreen is iced over, you will also need to clear the ice off before setting off. This can be done by directing heat onto the windscreen and scraping the ice off the outside or using de-icer. Some cars have electrically heated windscreen glass so if your's does, switch it on.

Use your climate control setting (if your car has it)

If your car has a clever climate control system, use it. There will more than likely be a setting for demisting your windscreen which will automatically adjust the ventilation system.

If you don't have air-con or climate control, use your windows

Having your windows down can also help clear your windscreen faster. This is because the outside air can reduce the amount of water vapour inside, preventing your screen from misting up. Once the windscreen is cleared, you can begin to warm the car up.

While your car is demisting, stand outside of it. Your breath is warm and wet which will not help the process. However, don't leave the car unattended with the keys inside, as this is an opportunity for thieves to steal your car.

Quick tips:

• A trick to prevent your car from getting humid in the first place is to purchase a small dehumidifier box. This can absorb the moisture before it hits your windscreen, preventing the need to demist your car.
• If you head over to your local Halfords store, you can purchase one of our All Weather Windscreen Shields which will cover your car windscreen and help protect from the weather. Working for both summer and winter, it will reflect the sunrays to keep your car cool and protects against snow and ice build-up.

For safety reasons, be sure to wait until your windscreen is thoroughly cleared before driving anywhere. The above demisting tips and tricks should help to reduce the time needed to clear your windows, so there's no need to be inconvenienced by long delays.