I often use the kettle to defrost the car windows...but never use hot water..i always use very lukewarm water.Using hot water would crack the glass for sure. :-\
Last winter I got myself one of those de-icer sprays. Rubbish. The ice melted then promptly re-froze. I agree with you, Yorkshire Puddin, a kettle of tepid water works better.
"Hot" water was probably the wrong description, thinking about the way it was steaming it may have been tepid and just steaming in the cold air :-\I often use the kettle to defrost the car windows...but never use hot water..i always use very lukewarm water.Using hot water would crack the glass for sure. :-\
Living in an area where it gets very cold in the winter, I concur with the above that the best route to go is a good old fashioned ice scraper. Also, letting the interior of the car warm a bit with the heater blasting helps, too. I've also seen people put a plastic garbage bag over the window and shut the doors on it to keep it in place. I've never done it but supposedly it keeps the condensation off the window and so you have no ice in the morning.
Couldn't it be a better idea to turn in the heat in the car a few minutes before going on your way?? I found these helpfull hints:
1) The first task in de-icing your car's windscreen is to prepare a solution of 250ml of water and 250 ml of ethanol and pour into a spraying bottle. If you can't get your hands on ethanol you can replace it win vinegar.
2) The second thing to do in cleaning ice from a windscreen is to dig out something to scrape the ice off. Something made from hard plastic should do the job.
3) The third item on the to do list is to turn on your cars engine. (Ensure that you don't leave it unattended).
) 3) Now you need to turn your car's system onto the highest setting and the defroster fan to a low one.
4) Remember the solution of water and ethanol / vinegar you concocted? Well it is time to put it to some use. Spray the mixture all over the iced windscreen.
5) When you have applied a liberal amount of de-icer to the windshield use the scraper you set aside in step 2 and scrape downwards in short shallow motion, working your way into the middle of the screen - ensure that you are not too rough in your actions as you don't want to scratch the glass.
6) Your windscreen should now be free of ice.
) 3) Now you need to turn your car's system onto the highest setting and the defroster fan to a low one.