Hardly there might be anything more annoying that this foggy patch at a windshield. Every driver at some point has to face it. And of course it simply has to appear when you are in a rush, or the vision is already not perfect due to weather conditions. To understand how to get rid of it fast and easy and prevent this fog in the future, it is important to understand where it comes from. Forewarned is forearmed, right?
Why does fogging up appear?
Foggy windows are actually nothing more than ordinary everyday physics. This fog is no different from a steamy beer bottle on the 4th of July. It is a condensate of moisture that comes up because of a significant difference between the temperature of two objects. In other words, your car is fogging up when the temperature inside your car sharply differs from the air temperature outside. Your car glass is the physical barrier between two different temperatures and the moist condensates on it. If there is some source of excessive moisture inside your car at the moment, you will get your foggy windows instantly. The causes might differ – from your own breath or a cup of steamy coffee to wet clothes and shoes on a rainy day or damp car rugs.
Eventually, when this humidity meets a cold windshield, it condensates and creates the fogging up.
How to prevent fogging up?
Now that we know how and why it is happening, it will be much easier to understand how to prevent your car from fogging up.
Here are some tips that will make your life easier at any weather conditions.
- De-icing. As long as the low temperature of the window is the main reason for your car`s fogging-up, you might want to take care of it before you even start the car. Drivers of Montana’s Greater Flathead Valley are quite familiar with starting cars and driving in cold temperatures. Spraying your windshield with a quality deicer will level the temperature and minimize the fogging.
- Keep the windows clean. When your windows are dirty, the extensive moist condensation on it easier, simply sticking to it mechanically. A good window cleaner will take off the sticky and rough layer of dirt, so the moisture won`t be able to stick to it.
- Minimize moisture. When the weather is cold and the air is humid, your chances to end up with foggy windows are much higher. Therefore, during such periods keep an eye on the interior of your car. Of course, you may not control your breath, but using an umbrella and drying your floormats are easy and effective measures. In case the fogging continues, make sure there are no cracks in the windshield or any other ways water may be entering your car unnoticed.
- Crack the windows. The weather might get tricky, especially in the mid-season. Once you are driving in the pouring rain, in a minute the sun might come out. Or a frosty and sunny winter day may turn into a dumpy snowstorm in a no time. And of course, if you keep your car in a garage, you may be sure to get all foggy once you drive to the street. Cracking the windows to make the air circulate and the temperature balance is the most efficient prevention measure. Even if the weather outside is freezing, you chances to get a fatal cold in couple minutes are much lower than to end up in an accident because of low vision.
Taking care of your windows is very important. Not only foggy windows are annoying, but they may also be really dangerous for you and the others. OHS Body Shop serves the Greater Flathead Valley and offers auto body repairs and more at our service centers in Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Polson. Visit the closest to you to get comprehensive consultation from our qualified mechanics and the best prices in the area for all kinds of service.