How do you combat a bad windshield day?

I have never found a solution for this problem either, aside from my defrosters and my windshield wipers. I always just figured it was something that I would have to live with on chilly mornings. I am pretty certain that Rain X sells a windshield washer fluid that helps to prevent fogging (and ice) by repelling the moisture on the glass, you could give that a try. Welcome to Fluther. :)

Was your blower on recirc?

Turn on the heat and the AC at the same time and set the fan to defrost. Works wonders.

Most American-brand cars have a windshield setting on the climate control. Besides directing air up at the windshield, it also kicks on the a/c which has a dehumidifier. Clears things up nicely.

Many Asian-brand cars might do the same thing, but some, especially older models, might require you to not only direct the air to the windshield, but also push the a/c button yourself to get the same effect.

However, you do it, make sure the a/c is engaged to get the dehumidifier action.

Also, if you’re driving with your windows down or if you’ve got the intake set for outside air instead of recirculate, then you’re pumping new humidity into the car all along. So engage that recirculate button and keep your windows up, too.

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That said, eventually your windshield might get too cold from the a/c and cause water to condensate from the air (like a can of cold soda). The easiest thing to do there is simply turn up the heat a bit.

I always have some paper towels or a rag handy. Wiping the windows clears them up nicely.

Put the defroster on, with the heat turned up and the A/C on. If there’s humidity, and if that’s all it is, then that should take care of it quickest.

But the other thing to do is to clean the inside windshield. If you haven’t done that in awhile, you’d be amazed at the difference it makes. (And any amount of film on the windshield will make the humidity problem worse when it does occur.)

I had the same problem last week, which is why I very much endorse this idea.

I have only ever owned one car that had functioning A/C, so blowing dehumidified air across my windshield has rarely been an option for me.

Personally, I just set the heater to blow on high speed defrost and cracked a window to make the air inside more like the air outside. Such condensation is often caused by a severe mismatch between the two. The only times that that hasn’t cleared the window within a couple of minutes are on days where it is so cold that I need to let the car warm up for a bit before I can even control my shivering enough to drive safely, and foggy windows are not really a problem if you are parked. Still, even on those days, I crack the window since not doing so makes the whole process a lot slower, especially with the humidity contained in the average human’s breath.

Wiping it off often causes more problems than it solves, so I never do. I learned that lesson the hard way long ago.