Winter Hacks to Help You Survive the Snowy Season

The winter months bring lots of cold temperatures, snowy days and nights, and can really wreak havoc on your day. So to prepare for those frigid temperatures and the snow and ice that can make it impossible to get to work on time, here are a few winter hacks you'll want to remember before the snow starts. 

  • Kitty litter is great for giving your tires a bit of traction. So stock up or borrow some from your cat if you are having trouble getting your car out of snow. 
  • An old credit card works as an ice scraper in a pinch and keep a push broom handy too. It can get all of the snow off the top of your car. Driving with snow piled high on your car is dangerous for you and other drivers. 
  • If you know snow, ice, and low temperatures are on the horizon, mix three parts white vinegar with one part water and spray the mixture onto your windshield. This mixture will prevent ice from forming and save you time in the morning. If you didn't spray your windshield ahead of the snow, no worries, it works great to cut through the ice.
  • If your door locks are frozen, a few squirts of hand sanitizer will help you get into your car quickly.
  • Before a cold night or winter storm, raise your windshield wipers and put wool socks on the blades. This way your blades won't be covered in ice or frozen to your windshield in the morning.
  • You can spend a lot of money on de-fogging sprays for your car windows, or you can use this hack. Put a thin layer of shaving cream on the inside of your windows and wipe down. Shaving cream has a lot of the same chemicals as the de-foggers but is super inexpensive. 
  • If your car doors tend to freeze when the temperatures drop, spraying a little cooking spray around the interior of the door-only where there is rubber-- will prevent your doors from freezing overnight.
  • Putting gallon sized freezer bags over your side mirrors will keep them from being covered in frost and ice. Just be sure you secure the bags with rubber bands. 
  • Is your car stuck in the snow and you're worried you won't get out? Just use a piece of cardboard to help get traction. You can also use your car mats for traction if you don't have cardboard handy.