The cold winter weather causes many problems for your car if you do not take care of it properly.
Indeed, freezing car components is one of those frustrating situations, especially the vehicle’s exterior mirrors.
This can cause the mirror to be broken and severely damaged. Surely you wouldn’t want this to happen, right?
As a result, you must know how to defrost side mirrors to prepare for your trips in the spring.
Moreover, this post will give you more ways to keep this car part ice-frost-free. Let’s keep reading for valuable tips and methods.
How To Defrost Side Mirrors
Vinegar And Rubbing Alcohol
The first way to defrost side view mirrors is with vinegar.
In addition to some cooking benefits, this home ingredient can help us melt ice because vinegar’s acetic acid can lower the melting point of ice.
As a result, even when the ambient temperatures aren’t warm enough to melt the ice, pouring a vinegar solution into it can start the ice defrosting.
Due to a large amount of acidity, vinegar can damage a surface if it is put undiluted directly into it. Thus, before using it on your car, you should combine vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio.
The vinegar solution should then be applied with a spray bottle to the area you want to defrost.
You can increase the amount of vinegar in the mixture when the ice is thick. However, you should refrain from using vinegar solely because it might damage your surfaces with its acid.
Rubbing alcohol also has a freezing point of 138 degrees below the ice. Thus, this mixture can be a great answer for how to defrost mirrors.
In a spray bottle, combine 2/3 rubbing alcohol or isopropyl and 1/3 water.
You can see the ice rapidly melt by spraying the solution directly over your rear view mirrors or windshields.
Scrape The Ice Off
How to get ice off car side mirrors? The easiest way to think of it might be to scrape the ice off using an ice scraper, a credit card, ect.
However, this approach cannot handle the problem thoroughly because you can only scrape the large surface layer of ice. Thus, the small places, such as the screw, still freeze.
Always use windshield wipers, a plastic scraper, a rubber squeegee, or a soft bristle brush to remove ice from the surface.
Never use metal scrapers since they can scratch glass and damage the car paint. Moreover, you need to scrape as gently as possible.
Heat It Up
Another way to side mirror defrost is to heat these mirrors up. Getting inside your car and turning the vehicle system on is the first step in effectively de-icing your car components.
When the car starts to warm up and starts to melt ice, wait for 10 to 15 minutes after turning on your heater to the defrost symbol (a physical button).
This method does not only work to defrost the ice outside the car but also frost on the inside of the windshield.
However, it might take a longer time to defrost the exterior side mirrors. Thus, you can try some methods to affect this part directly.
Use a hair dryer or pour lukewarm water over a frozen part handle to help melt the ice and de-ice it.
Afterward, the ice will sufficiently soften for you to wipe it away with a hard cloth or even your gloves.
Your frosted mirrors may get cracked if you splash them with hot water.
In addition, heated water thrown into the air in extremely cold temperatures actually turns to powder when it comes into contact with the icy air.
That’s why you should never use hot water or the highest level of the air dryer to de-ice.
Heated Mirrors
Car heated mirrors are frequently regarded as an extravagance because their package price is high. They function by heating the mirror, which melts snow or ice and increases visibility.
Beyond simply being a nice extra, heated side mirrors have many advantages.
The ability of heated mirrors to improve your visibility in winter driving may be their most significant advantage.
As a result, they are the solution for you if you reside in a region with severe winters and are sick of waiting for your mirrors to defrost.
Heated mirrors offer many styles, sizes, and designs. So, you should consider your needs and the product specifications while selecting one in addition to the standard features offered.
If you choose the incorrect fit, mirror heaters normally won’t fit well or could not have the necessary wiring.
How To Keep Your Car Mirrors Ice Frost Free
Cover
Your best bet is to cover your car mirrors to keep them clear of all the winter threats. This way, ice or frost won’t accumulate on the glass.
It works similarly to putting a towel on the windshield.
One possible trick we recommend is to use plastic bags to cover the car’s two side mirrors. Then, remember to secure these bags with rubber bands.
Moreover, if you don’t need to use your car during the winter, you can simply remove the mirrors and put this safety feature away.
Onion
You might find this concept weird, especially the notion of utilizing a vegetable to keep your car mirrors from freezing.
However, you may prevent frost from accumulating overnight by wiping half an onion over your windshield and car glass at night.
The natural oil and juice from the onion will make the water in the ice and snow on your windshield less frozen, making it easier to melt and take longer to refreeze.
The previous evening, slice an onion in half and spread it all over the mirror surface.
The glass will be coated with the onion’s natural oils, stopping ice or frost from developing. Besides onions, potatoes will also help.
Vinegar And Saltwater
Spraying vinegar on your windshield or car mirrors is another great way to prevent these car parts from freezing.
You won’t need to purchase those pricey auto cleaners any longer. Apply the mirrors and windshield with a solution made of water and vinegar by a 1:1 ratio.
The vinegar solution will prevent overnight frost or ice formation on these components and dissolve any ice that may have developed.
Salt water can get the same result if you don’t have vinegar at home.
Park Facing East
If possible, you can park your vehicle towards the east. Let the sun help you handle everything.
Since the sun rises in the east, your car will already be defrosted in the morning before you leave for work.
Yet, we also call this a luck method. This is because sometimes the weather isn’t so sunny in the winter morning.
Thus, you might prepare other ways for your car.
Conclusion
If you live in a country with harsh winter, you always remember to have some preparation to defrost and prevent ice accumulation on your car.
This article has provided you with various methods on how to defrost side mirrors.
You must pay attention to the ratio and amount of the solution. Otherwise, it can damage your glass and mirror surface.
Moreover, you should have vehicle maintenance regularly to ensure all car components are working well.