Use This Method From a Former NASA Engineer to Instantly Fog up Your Windshield
One of the most frustrating things in cold weather is the extra work that means for those who drive. Between putting on winter tires, clearing snow and ice, and waiting for the car to warm up, things take a little longer. And while not many people commute to work every day, that doesn’t mean everyone will get rid of the awful feeling when they start their car and realize that their windshield is fogging up. But if you find yourself in that position, it’s not as bad as it sounds: the former NASA engineer shared his science-based de-fogging technique designed to get the job done faster. Here’s what you need to know.
How to quickly fog up your windshield
This advice came from Marc Robert , a former NASA engineer who calls himself a “friend of science.” In a five-minute YouTube video, he walks us through his four-step windshield fogging method in half the time. (Note that the caption in the photo below says it will talk about defrosting windows, but in real video it only refers to defrosting .)
In the video, Robert uses a scientific method to test various techniques before settling on the one he found best for fogging up the windshield and windows of a car. Here are the steps:
- Turn on your car heater to full power. Hot air can hold more moisture.
- Turn on the air conditioner in the car. This draws moisture out of the air as the air passes through the cold AC coils, according to Robert.
- Make sure there is no air circulation inside. “The winter air is cold and we know it doesn’t hold much moisture,” explains Robert. “So if you bring it into the car and heat it up, it has a lot of absorption capacity.”
- Break open as many windows as possible – even for a few seconds – so the moist air in the car can exchange with the dry, cold air outside.
Of course, there are many variables such as temperature, precipitation and kinds of settings that come with your car, but if you are dealing with fog often, they are worth trying.