This Clever Hack Will Keep Your Car Windows from Fogging Up

With the help of three ordinary materials, you won't have to worry about this annoyance anymore.

Your average morning can be an obstacle course, especially in the winter. You try your best to get to work on time, but by the time you’ve managed to get yourself out of bed, begrudgingly turn off your hot shower, check the weather, and choose which coat is best, the last thing you want to deal with is a foggy car window. 

A condensation-caked windshield isn’t just annoying, it’s just plain dangerous. It tends to subside with time and enough air system finagling, but there’s actually a quicker way to de-fog your windshield. All you need is three things: a tube sock, a roll of packing tape, and some kitty litter.

Yes, kitty litter! “The idea is that the litter, designed to absorb cat urine, will absorb the moisture in your car that causes glass to fog up,” explains Roslyn McKenna, car insurance publisher for Finder.com. McKenna and her team at Finder tested out the trick, and did it work? It sure did. “During our test, the car windshield and windows didn’t fog up at all,” she told Reader’s Digest. Here are some more handy car care tips to get your vehicle through the winter.

But she also explains that some types of kitty litter will work better than others for this trick. “Non-clumping or crystal litters seem to work best instead of traditional clumping clay or pellet litter,” she says. When it comes to your sock selection, opt for the athletic aisle, as you want the material to be as high-wicking as possible. And luckily, the tape type doesn’t matter.

Here’s what to do: Take your sock and place the roll of tape at the top of the tube and push it in so that the center of the roll makes the cuff of the sock plenty wide. (You can also stuff the roll inside the sock and fold the cuff over—whatever makes it easiest to pour in the litter.) Take your kitty litter and fill the sock up to about where your ankle would begin, remove the tape roll, and tie it off tight at that point. If you prefer, you can stuff the whole thing into a second sock for extra strength. This video shows you exactly how to do it:

Now that you have your “litter bomb,” place it on your dashboard every time you park and leave your car. Your fog problems will be a thing of the past.

If executed correctly, this hack will make sure that there isn’t any fog in your car in the first place. If you accidentally bring it in the house, don’t sweat it, as you can run the litter-filled sock along the windshield to get better results than your hand or a hand towel. But for the best results, try to keep it in the car so that you remember to use it. On the other hand, here are some things you definitely shouldn’t keep in your car in the winter.

Sources:

  • Roslyn McKenna, car insurance publisher for Finder.com