Households urged to rub washing up liquid on car windows from October

The colder weather is arriving, the days are getting shorter and one of the most annoying problems facing drivers in these more mixed conditions is beginning to return - car windscreen mist.

There's nothing worse than trying to drive in already wet, windy or difficult conditions when suddenly, your windscreen fogs over and you can't see a thing.

That's why car cleaning experts are urging people to make use of a handy tip involving washing up liquid, which works in the colder months from October onwards as the weather gets more changeable and temperatures drop.

According to mechanics at Micks Garage, you can rub washing up liquid on your windscreen to prevent them from icing over or steaming up in winter, because it creates a protective film which prevents condensation from forming.

You need to put the washing up liquid on the inside of your windscreen, which will then help prevent it from misting up or freezing up when the weather is really cold.

Micks Garage says: "By the time I've de-iced, the windows still haven't fully de-misted. So like any normal bloke, rather than wait, I drive off, hunched over, peering through the 6-inch envelope of clear screen that the feeble demister has actually managed to demist! Highly dangerous and, to be honest, pretty irresponsible... don't do it kids!

"So what do you need to remedy this problem? Fairy liquid!

"I found this out by accident during the summer. I was trying to get one of those suction cup phone holder things to stick to the windscreen and it kept falling off. So I decided to dunk the suction cup in water and smear a drop of washing up liquid on it to create a good seal. It worked a treat.

"A week later, after I'd taken the phone holder off, the windows were steamed up one morning except for a neat little section of the screen where I had the phone holder mounted. This prompted me to try the 'Fairy effect' on the whole screen.

"Here's the method: take one wet dish cloth, squeeze a good blob of washing up liquid onto it, apply in a circular motion to the whole inside of the screen, then take another clean, dry cloth and gently wipe off.

"The idea is to try and leave some of the washing up liquid on the screen while still getting a dry streak free finish.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results! Apparently shaving foam also works just as well. The technique above will greatly reduce the amount of condensation on the inside of your screen but it won't eliminate it altogether, you're still going to need to use the car's demister."