While many of us are dreaming of a white Christmas this year, it’s usually with the hope of watching it while warm from the window – not de-icing the car in the cold. With this in mind, a mechanic has blown people’s minds with his seasonal advice on how you can prevent your motor from freezing overnight.

With cold weather the culprit for many late arrivals to work and missed appointments, de-icing is a tedious task we could all do without, which is why the brrrr-illiant advice from the experts at LeaseCar.uk could save you time and valuable minutes in the not-so-nice icy cold.

While ice scrapers can help remove some of the surface-level ice shards this season, it can take around a while to remove the problem entirely. As with anything, prevention is better than the cure and things can be speeded up by using one staple cupboard item in particular.

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Motoring expert, Tim Alcock, says: “With temperatures taking a sharp dip, many of us are having to face the burden of de-icing the car in the morning. But using an ice scraper to clear the vehicle can have you standing for 15 to 20 minutes, which can be a nightmare when you’re on a tight schedule.

"To stop your windscreens from developing ice and frost overnight, try using an onion instead. Chop a brown onion in half and rub it across the windscreen at night to prevent a thick layer of ice from sticking." While it might sound strange, the oil from the onion lines the glass with a coating that works wonders to deter frost from sticking.

Also in Tim's top tips for quickly solving frosty-covered cars and that won't break the bank, is using lemons. He says: "The citric acid in lemons can help break down the ice barrier. Squeeze the juice onto the windshield, then rinse it off with lukewarm water and wipe off the shards with the lemon itself."

And if your motor is too far gone for even a squirt of lemon or a trusty ice scraper to save, don't be tempted to pour boiling water over the glass as it could cause it to split. Instead, Tim suggests laying a warm, damp towel over the screen to help quickly remove thicker pieces of ice without damaging the car."

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