Homemade de-icer

this link does not answer the question of how to make a home made de icer for car wind shields

1/2 gallon warm water, 2 rubbing alcohol, and a few drops dish detergent. Put in spray bottle and spray away.

2 ounces of alcohol to above. sorry.

I use isopropyl alcohol, (rubbing alcohol) in a spray bottle. A few drops of blue food coloring help me identify it, (it looks like Windex). You can use the cheap rubbing alcohol, the 50% you get at the bargain stores is plenty strong enough. The stuff you get at grocery and department stores is typically 70% and in drug stores you can get 91%, but there is no need for the higher percentages. If you happen to have some of the higher percentage alcohol on hand you can dilute it a little bit with water to stretch it a little bit. A cheap, simple spray bottle from the garden section of your local department store, hardware store or bargain store can be had for a buck or two OR you could save an empty bottle from window cleaner, all purpose cleaner or whatever else you might have handy.

Be advised that when you spray alcohol it smells strong. If you happen to encounter "officer Friendly" shortly after you spray it, (especially if you spray it on the insides of your windows), you may have some 'splainin' to do if the cop simply thinks he smells alcohol and doesn't recognize the smell as rubbing alcohol. I don't know how much you can dilute it, I've always just used it straight and it makes short work of ice. At the discount stores I've bought it at 50¢ for a quart and that's a lot more than I ever needed to get through a Pennsylvania winter. (I'm sure a person could use a quart rather quickly if they don't realize how well it works and always use a lot more than needed. Start with just a few sprays to get started until you are familiar with it. The wide spray pattern works well on windows and the stream pattern works in locks and on doors that are frozen to the rummer gasket). Yes, doors frozen to the rubber gasket. Sleet and freezing rain are common ocurrances in southern Pennsylvania and I'd much rather use a few squirts of that than replace rubber gaskets again. The alcohol is a LOT cheaper a lot less work and much less hassle.

Keep a bottle handy in your house, near the front door or garage door in case your doors are frozen shut in the morning, the stuff won't do any good if it's in your car and the doors won't open.

A word of caution: When the weather starts o warm up TAKE THE BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL OUT OF YOUR CAR ! On a warm sunny day, the interior of your car can easily reach 120° Fahrenheit and that's getting into the danger zone for storing alcohol.

Barry, thank you. This is exactly the information I was just looking for. I live in Western Washington and my mom is over the mountains in Eastern WA. She was just telling me about the weather there today and how her windshield was frozen. When a truck sped past her it left a big splash of water that immediately froze before she could even get her wipers turned on. Dangerous in a moving vehicle. She had to pull over to get them defrosted. Thank you for your knowledgeable and thorough answer!

Robby, Be advised that alcohol will not immediately melt thick ice. It will get rid of frost instantly and will do a pretty good job on thin ice. It will soften thicker ice to make it easier to scrape. If it's really thick and nasty, use the corner of your scraper to scratch a few lines in the ice then spray the alcohol into those scratches so it can penetrate between the glass and the ice to loosen the ice. I've also put alcohol in my windshield washer reservoir to keep it from freezing.I haven't noticed and ill effects to the plastic tank, the rubber hoses or the rubber impellers in the pump. (I buy older cars and run them until they just don't run any more, the two cars I currently have are 1988 models and I've had them for for about 6 & 8 years). The alcohol hasn't seemed to have a negative effect on the washers or wipers. Alcohol is also great for washing the windows and seems to help prevent frost from forming.