As you'll find out in your driving lessons, you must make sure you can see clearly out of your front and rear windscreens, windows and mirrors before driving away. Moving off with your view restricted is dangerous for both you and others around you. Here we take you through how to demist your windscreen quickly, so you won’t have to sit and wait all morning for it to clear!
Step 1: De-ice the car
If the weather is particularly icy, you’ll probably need to de-ice your windscreen. Follow our guide to de-icing your car to clear the ice from your windows and windscreens, before you demist your windscreen.
Step 2: Use your fans
Once you’ve cleared the windscreen of any ice or snow, you’ll need to make sure the inside of your windscreen is clear too. When it’s cold outside, the inside of your windscreen can mist up due to condensation.
Make sure your handbrake is secured and that the car is in neutral. Start your engine and make sure your fans are pointing upwards towards the windscreen. if you have air conditioning in your car, putting this on will help clear your windscreen even quicker.
Step 3: Be patient
It might take a while for the condensation to clear, but don’t try and wipe it away from the inside. Doing this might clear your windscreen faster, but you’ll end up smearing your windscreen and obscuring your view. Doing this can make it especially difficult to see in the dark, when lights can obscure your vision too.
Step 4: Rear view
It’s not just your front windscreen you’ll need to clear – you’ll need to make sure you can see out through your rear view mirror too. Many cars have back windscreen heaters, so put this on to clear your rear windscreen whilst you’re waiting for the front to clear.
Step 5: Mirrors and windows
You’ll also need to clear your windows and mirrors before you can set off. Keep a clean cloth in your car to wipe them down with, making sure you can see clearly both to your left, right and in your door mirrors.
Step 6: Ready to go
Once your windscreen is fully cleared, turn your air con, fan and heated rear windscreen off. Check you can see clearly from every angle, perform your cockpit drill as normal, and you’re ready to set off.