We do not store the final thaw in the car
It is currently not very cold in the Netherlands for the time of year. We only had to scratch the windows a few times here in the west of the country. However, the first time the windows of my car were frozen this year was already in October. Then we were in England and were staying in a rural setting.
In the weather forecast they had told that the nights would be cold but I had not realized that it would be so cold. The next day I was stupidly surprised to see that the windows of our station wagon were hidden under a layer of ice. That ice was also difficult to remove. A scraper was needed for that. But of course I couldn't find it. After the winter I am always annoyed with all sorts of handy tools that you can benefit so much in the dark and cold days. They must then be stored somewhere in the car where they do not rattle and are not visible. Where was that ice scraper stored? At that time I also realized that I had not yet prepared the ditches for the winter. And where was the final thaw again? It is not convenient to keep that handy stuff in the car. Because if the ditches are frozen then it will not help you. That's why I have the final defroster next to my winter gloves. At least I don't miss out that way. But not everyone has a final thaw in the house. What also sometimes helps if there is no lock defroster at hand, is heating the key and then put it in the lock. If this is repeated a few times, the lock will probably be used again. Do not force the case because you turn the key so crooked. I have also seen devices on the market with a thin pin that you can put in the lock and that is heated by means of batteries. That works well too. Never use hot water to defrost a lock, because that water runs everywhere again. Never heat the lock of a lockable fuel cap with a lighter! Release the fuel cap in case of heavy frost. Then you know for sure that you can refuel when necessary.
Text and photo Jacques van den Bergh
