Keeping car windows from fogging is a desirable goal, especially as we hurry off to work or school in the morning. There are a few tips for keeping car windows from fogging. These can help reduce window fogging, but sometimes you are still likely to experience a little fogging.

First off, you can help keep your car windows from fogging by cleaning the interior of the windows every one to two weeks. Car windows, and in fact all parts of the car gather dust particles and oil, even in the interior. This muck on your windows actually makes them more likely to fog up, as it’s something of a natural base on which window fog can accumulate. During wet weather seasons, you should probably plan to clean the windows once weekly, as this will help keep car windows from fogging.

Fog created on windows is caused by excess moisture. This comes from the air we breathe, and also moisture on our clothes, hair, and the outdoors. However, normally the air outside the car is less moist than the air inside the car. Keeping car windows from fogging can be aided by rolling down the windows a little bit to let in drier air. Of course this won’t work well if it’s pouring rain outside.

Also, try to eliminate excess moisture before getting into the car to help in keeping car windows from fogging. If your shoes are wet from snow, for example, tap off the snow before getting into the car. If you have an umbrella with you, give a good vigorous shake or two before getting into the car. Bringing less moisture into the car will help keep car windows from fogging.

Naturally, one of the best methods in keeping car windows from fogging is to use your car’s defogger or defroster heat or air conditioning setting. Though it is more cost effective to recirculate the heat in your car, this may slow down defogging time, because you’ll be recirculating warm moist air into the car. Instead make sure your defroster is set to take in outside air. Usually after a few minutes, you can switch to the more efficient setting.

It can also help to warm up the car and turn the defroster on before you actually need it. Don’t do this in a closed off garage space, though, as carbon monoxide levels produced can be dangerous. If you park your car outdoors, in a safe neighborhood, merely start the engine and set the defogger a few minutes before you plan to leave. In vans and SUVS, don’t forget you usually have a rear defogger that can help keep back car windows from fogging up.

If you’re really in a hurry, you can start keeping car windows from fogging by wiping down the interior windows with a towel. Just remember, no matter how much of a hurry you’re in, you should make sure your visibility is maximum before you start driving the car. Minimized car visibility can lead to accidents, which are far more serious than being late to work or school.