How To Prevent Car Windows From Fogging Up In Winter?

You tried everything to fix fogging car windows, but it’s still not working?! Well, I might have a solution for you. The secret is combining multiple tips, and in this post, I’ll show you 8 tips on how to stop car windows from fogging up in winter.

8 Tips To Stop Car Windows From Fogging Up

Here are actual tips you can do to stop your car windows from fogging up in winter. Make sure to follow as many of them as possible.

1. Clean Windows More Often

During the winter, it’s important to clean windows more often, even if they seem to be clear. Clean windows won’t have any dirt on them, and moisture won’t stick to them so easily.

Always use high-quality window cleaners like this GYEON Automotive Glass Cleaner (check my review). 

Together with glass cleaner, use some high-quality glass cleaning microfiber cloth or paper towel and thoroughly clean the glass.

If you want to learn how to clean car windows like a pro, check out my guide, where I explain every single step.

2. Remove Dump/Wet Items From Your Car

Removing all dump items from your car will reduce the chance of your windows getting fogged.

3. Turn On The AC

During the low temperatures, I always keep my AC turned on. Why?

Well, the air that comes through the air-conditioning compressor is completely dry and won’t get any moisture inside the car.

Also, make sure not to use the Recirculation button. Always bring in the fresh air from outside.

4. Shake Your Shoes

If it’s raining or snowing outside, make sure to clean your shoes as much as possible before entering the car. There’s a lot of water on them, which increases the chances of your car windows fogging up.

I know that this tip might be hard to implement sometimes, especially if you’re not driving alone, but at least try to warn your passengers to shake their shoes before entering the vehicle.

5. Check For Any Leaks

Before winter, check for any leaks in your car. Usually, leaks will come from old rubber around the door and trunk.

If you spot any damaged rubber, go to a repair shop and fix it. You can even do it by yourself; it’s a simple and cheap solution.

6. Ventilate Your Car During Sunny Days

This is a very important step; ventilating your car during a nice sunny day will remove any moisture trapped inside your car (seats, carpets, etc.).

A few years back, I spilled a bottle of water inside the trunk and didn’t realize it straight away. Guess what? Mold appeared in 2 days only. So, make sure to ventilate your car whenever you can.

7. Apply Anti-Fog Product To The Windows

If you’re constantly having problems with foggy car glass, even after implementing all the tips I mentioned above, I suggest that you apply an anti-fog product to all the interior windows in your vehicle.

I highly suggest you try the Rain-X Anti Fog, which is my go-to anti-fog product to use during the winter.

8. Get a Silica Dehumidifier

If you followed all the seven tips above and still get your windows fogged all the time, consider buying a silica dehumidifier.

Dehumidifiers help in removing any excess moisture from your car, which will again reduce the chance of getting fogged windows.

I Don’t Have Air-Conditioning; What To Do?

If you have a car without AC, don’t worry. I didn’t have it in three of my first cars when I was younger.

Even without AC in your car, you can still do a lot to prevent your windows from getting fogged. I didn’t have it in three of my first cars when I was younger.

Follow all the steps above, and try not to turn the heating option to the MAX. I always try to keep it just a bit above the middle. That way, I’m not cold inside, and the glass won’t get too hot either.

If you wonder why, here’s the answer.

If you heat up the glass too much, it will remove the fog at first, but at the same moment you turn off the heating or open the car door, the glass will fog again.

I had cars without the AC and almost never had problems with windows getting fogged, even though I lived in an area with high humidity and low winter temperatures.

Why Do Car Windows Become Foggy?

To successfully prevent car windows from fogging up, you should know what makes them foggy in the first place.

Windows will fog up when there’s moisture inside the car and when the temperature inside the car is warmer than the glass (window surface) temperature. 

To simplify this, if it’s -10 Celsius degrees outside, and you get into a car and breathe, the temperature inside the car will quickly rise, and windows will probably get foggy.

Dirt will attract moisture, which will make windows easy to fog up.

So, when the temperature of the windows is similar to the car interior temperature, and when there’s as little moisture as possible, the chances of getting windows fogged are reduced a lot.

For more detailed information, check this article: Why Do My Car’s WIndow Fog Up?

Wrap Up

Preventing your car windows from fogging up isn’t as hard as most people think. By following the steps I showed you above, I believe your windows won’t get fogged easily. 

Remember that your job is to equalize the temperature of the car interior and the temperature of the glass and also to reduce moisture inside your car. 

And the last thing that I want to tell you is that if you’re a vaper like me, car windows will fogg up pretty easily. As soon as the vape film is created on car windows, they’ll start fogging much easier than before. So, make sure to clean vape film from car windows on a regular basis.