3 Steps for Fighting Off Foggy Windows

Maintaining proper visibility is crucial when trying to practice safe driving. This is known by drivers and law enforcement authorities alike. Many car owners have been pulled over and warned or ticketed for having their vision obstructed, whether due to windshield damage, or because of GPS systems and window ornaments cluttering their view. Though the importance of proper vision is understood, the danger of foggy windshields is often understated. Fog can simply be wiped off of the glass, causing many people to dismiss it as an insignificant problem, but windows can fog at the worst times, and frantic single-handed wiping is not a safe solution. Read on for some simple and effective fog-fighting strategies that go beyond pressing the dehumidifier button. 

Keep wetness away

Fog typically builds up on windshields because of heightened levels of moisture in the car's interior. As the temperature drops, the air must expel its moisture, and the majority of it ends up deposited on the insides of your windows. One way to minimize the accumulation of fog is to keep excess moisture out of your car. This means sweaty gym gear, damp umbrellas, or glistening produce should be transported in the trunk. Be sure to kick any snow off of your boots before stepping into your car as well, or you risk feeding the fog!

Wash your windows

Most people keep the exterior of their windshield clean, but neglect its interior surface. Dirt offers moisture a base foundation upon which to settle. Removing this layer of dirt makes it harder for fog to form.

Fresh air reinforcements

Allowing your AC to recirculate only pushes the moisture around inside of your car. If you put the air on, the fog will be unaffected, and will actually worsen as your breath and sweat ups the humidity. Instead, allow new air to circulate and carry moisture out of your car.

3 Ways to Keep Your Car Cool

Recently, social media has been flooded with videos highlighting the inhumanity of leaving a child or pet inside a car during the summer. Until recently, some parents and pet owners could not see the harm in a 10-minute sauna-session within a car's interior. Research has shown that a car's temperature can rise by 19 degree Fahrenheit in only 10 minutes. Within an hour, a car's interior can exceed that of the outside by over 40 degrees! Though most people now understand the dangers this poses to their loved ones, temperatures can still rise enough to melt CD cases, discolour dashboards, and affect any electronics or valuables you may be storing within the car's interior. Read on for some strategies to help keep your car cool. 

Why do car interiors heat up so quickly?

Some people think of this effect as being a large-scale version of frying ants under a magnifying glass, but the reality is quite different. Sunlight enters the car through the windows as short-wave energy which is then absorbed by the vehicle's interior, before being bounced back as long-wave infrared radiation. While the sunlight's infrared light can pass through the glass on its way in, it cannot escape back the way it came. This heat, now trapped, causes the car's interior to rise drastically in what is essentially a greenhouse effect.

What can I do to decrease the temperature of my car's interior?

• Seek shade – This common-sense solution limits your car's direct exposure to sunlight, preventing its temperature from rising as a result of infrared rays.
  
• Make your own shade – If a shady parking spot is not an option, you can make your own with car shades. Foil-faced reflective shades can cool your car significantly because they reflect heat.
  
• Tint your windows – Many reputable tinting services exist that can provide you with a stylish and functional tint. Tinted windows alternately absorb or reflect UV light, keeping your car cool and your interior unaffected. 

Shining Light on DIY Tint-Removal

Tinted windows are finally being appreciated. Long dismissed as over-stylized attempts to look alternately cool or menacing, people are now starting to understand the value of window tinting for heat reduction and shatter resistance. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and car owners who have purchased tinting eventually notice the telltale bubbling that marks the end of their tint's lifespan. Removing your tinting at home is possible, but there are right and wrong ways to approach the job. Peeling your tint off will leave you with a sticky mess across your windshield that will require hours of finger-numbing scraping before your vehicle is ready for the road. Read on for an explanation of one popular method of DIY tint removal. 

The "sun and ammonia" method

• Create a windshield cover by cutting black garbage bags in roughly the same size and shape of your windshield. Spray your windshield down with soapy water and then apply your garbage-bag cover, taking care to smooth the plastic flat.
• Lay protective cloth or tarp around the insides of your vehicle, and spray the interior pane of windshield glass with ammonia.
• Before the ammonia dries, trap the moisture against the interior of your windshield with a second trash bag cut-out.
• Allow the garbage bags to heat in the sun, and then begin peeling the window film. Make a small incision with a razor blade and begin peeling from a corner. Keep the tint moistened with ammonia as you work, and be careful not to slice into defroster lines. Any residual adhesive can be taken care of by scrubbing gently with steel wool dampened with ammonia. Once you have finished, dispose of the trash bags, and clean the glass thoroughly with an appropriate cleaner.

The dangers of doing it yourself
Though some car owners have success with the sun-and-ammonia method, it comes with some inherent risks. This method leaves significant room for error, risking cut defroster lines, ammonia damage to your car's interior, and having the potential to leave gummy adhesive marks on your windshield. Though DIY methods can save you money, professional window tint specialists can remove or replace your tinting at a reasonable cost, with no chance of causing extra damages or headaches.