Now that the weather is getting colder, drivers will be facing a tedious task each morning. But, knowing exactly what to do can stop you from sitting in a freezing car waiting for a miracle to happen.
Pete - who post videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube under the handle @capturing_cars - shared a video earlier this year about a common issue that many drivers will be facing as they head out to their vehicles. With the temperatures dropping, people will have the chore of heating up their car - not just to make it comfortable, but to make it roadworthy.
Car windows steam up in winter mornings due to condensation, which happens when warm, moist air inside the car hits the cold glass and cools, causing the water vapour to form tiny droplets. Moisture can accumulate overnight, creating a humid environment for this to happen.
To clear the fog, the car's heating system can help combat the mist and make your windows clear enough to see out of safely. However, using a few specific settings can speed up the process.
Pete said: "Do you know how to heat your car as quickly as possible in the winter months? The first thing, of course, you want to do is turn the temperature up [and] turn the fans up a bit as well."
Most people believe this is enough to power through the job. And they're not wrong, as it will eventually clear up the foggy windows. However, Pete claims pressing a few more buttons should speed up the process. He showed two more settings that people should switch on in the winter.
He said: "The next thing you wanna do is hit [the recirculation] button. What this is doing is shutting off the vents to the outside of the car and recirculating the air that's in the car.
"What that means is with each circulation of the air that's in your car, it gets warmer on each pass, heating up quicker. If that's off, you are bringing in cold air from outside of the car and trying to make it warm."
Then, he suggested something that few people would ever consider touching in the colder months: air conditioning. He insisted that it was needed, explaining: "A lot of people think air conditioning is just for hot weather-it's not."
Why should I use air conditioning in the winter?
The advice is also backed by the RAC, which claims drivers should "absolutely" use this feature if they have it in the winter months. A spokesperson said: "First and foremost, using warm air from the system in winter is a great way to demist the windows.
"The air coming out of the vents is dry, so the air-con acts as a dehumidifier. An air-con system is much like the human body - if not used for long periods it can seize up, plus circulation suffers. The air-con is filled with a refrigerant and some oil, and it pays to keep that liquid flowing and the components of the system lubricated."
