17. Put a sock on it
For automobile owners, winter driving offers a special set of difficulties; one of the most annoying ones is handling snow and ice build-up on your vehicle. Clearing snow, de-icing windows, and getting your car ready for safe winter travel may be time-consuming and sometimes tiresing. But one easy, affordable trick using common household goods will greatly reduce this winter load: covering your windshield wipers.
When snow is expected, this clever trick is sliding old socks over the windshield wipers of your car. Although at first look this approach seems odd, it has some advantages that will help your winter mornings be lot more under control. The main benefit is that it keeps ice and snow from directly clinging to your wiper blades, therefore accelerating and simplifying the clearing of your windshield.
Start this trick by looking at the weather report. Spend some minutes getting ready for snow or freezing rain forecast in your car. Start by raising your windshield wipers straight forward away from the wind. This is a vital step with two functions. It first keeps the wipers from freezing to the windshield, therefore preserving the glass as well as the blades. It also facilitates slipping the socks over the wiper blades.
Once the wipers are straight, just slide an old sock across every wiper blade. For best protection, make sure the sock spans the whole blade length. Not really important is the kind of sock; any old, clean sock will suffice. Longer socks are better, though, because they cover more ground and are less prone to slip-off.
There is basic but powerful scientific basis for this hack. The wiper blade and the elements are separated by the sock’s fabric. Rather of falling straight on the wiper blade, snow or freezing rain gathers on the sock. This keeps ice from building on the rubber portion of the wiper, which is notoriously difficult to remove without perhaps harming the blade.
Come morning or whenever you’re ready to drive, just take off the socks from the wiper blades. The wipers themselves are right away ready for use since they are clear of ice and snow. Particularly on those frigid mornings when every minute counts, this can save precious time and aggravation.
Carfax experts stress the need of this preparation and point out that although we should be cautious while raising the wipers, this approach helps avoid them from freezing to the windshield. Furthermore, wiper blades kept warm and dry under the cover of the socks are far more efficient in clearing the windshield than those frigid, frozen ones.
Since it tackles one of the toughest parts of winter car maintenance, this sock technique is especially helpful. Managing frozen wiper blades can be quite difficult. Trying to run wipers attached to the windscreen could destroy the wiper motor or rip the blades’ rubber. Maintaining the protection of the wipers helps you to prevent these possible problems and guarantees that starting driving does not damage your visibility.
This approach can also help to indirectly ensure better winter driving. Free from ice and snow, wipers are more efficient at cleaning your windshield while you are driving. Safe winter driving depends on this better visibility, particularly given the already difficult circumstances snow and ice create.
Although this sock method is quite useful, keep in mind that it’s only one component of thorough winter car readiness. Safe winter driving depends equally on other actions such making sure your car’s fluids are winter-ready, checking tire pressure and tread depth, and maintaining at least half full gas tank.
To sum up, the basic act of putting socks on your windshield wipers is a great illustration of how much a small preparation can help to simplify and speed up winter car maintenance. This affordable, simple-to-use tip will help your wiper blades last longer, save time and aggravation on chilly winter mornings, and somewhat improve your driving safety. Although it may seem odd to have socks on your car’s wipers, the pragmatic advantages much exceed any aesthetic considerations. Including this approach into your winter vehicle maintenance schedule will help you to be wise, proactive towards simpler and safer winter driving.