KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tuesday's ice storm left its mark on Kansas City. For some car owners, getting inside their cars has been a struggle. Often, they leave ice scrapers inside their cars. But when ice is so thick you can't open your door to begin with, you can't access the scraper. At least one person yanked so hard on his car door, he pulled the handle off.
41 Action News compiled a list of tips and tricks using household items to help you beat the ice.
- Combine two parts rubbing alcohol with one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the ice covering your car. If you don't have rubbing alcohol, mix a healthy surviving of table salt with water.
- Once your doors are open, spray Pam, or another pan-coating material, in the doorframe. This can help prevent the doors from freezing shut again.
- To prevent ice from forming on your car's windows and windshield to begin with, you can cover the glass with a towel soaked in saltwater. Or spray three parts vinegar to one part water on the glass.
- Do not pour warm or hot water on your car to melt the ice. The contrast in temperatures can increase the likelihood of cracking a window.
- If your car loses traction on ice, you can throw kitty litter on the ground around your tires to help them get traction. If you don't have cat litter, you can wedge your car's floor mat under the tires to get some traction. It doesn't work all the time, but it may be just what you need in a pinch.
- For the next storm, keep an ice scraper in your house, so it doesn't get trapped in your car.
- Installing a remote starter allows you to start your car, and its defroster, without having to enter the vehicle.
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