Every year, we get hit with winter. It's unavoidable, unless you live somewhere with no snow. For those of us who don't have that luxury, there are some ways you can survive winter without struggling too hard.
1. Un-stick Your Car
If you ever find yourself with no traction, it's a good idea to keep kitty litter in the car. Putting the gravel-like substance under your tires will allow your tires to grip something and move forward. If that doesn't work, try your floor mats or some salt.
2. Save Your Sweater!
When your favorite sweater starts to pill, it doesn't have to be the end of the world! Use a disposable razor to scrape off the small "fluffs" without damaging the sweater itself!
3. Screw Your Shoes
If you're looking for extra traction on your boots or shoes, get some small screws and insert them in the soles. Remember to get ones that won't go all the way through to your feet! The screw heads will give you extra grip on those slippery sidewalks.
4. Deny The Ice!
Using 2 quarts of rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon of dish detergent, you can make your own liquid de-icer that can be used on your windshield. You can also use 1 teaspoon liquid dish detergent, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1.5 gallons of water to create prevent your walkway from freezing after shoveling.
5. Deny The Fog, Too!
Using a sock and some odor-free kitty litter, you can stop your windshield from fogging up! Keep the sock filled with kitty litter under your seat or on your dash, and it will absorb the moisture in the air and prevent fogging.
6. Change The Air
In the winter, toggle your ceiling fan so it turns clockwise in the wintertime. This way, it's pushing the warm air from the ceiling down onto you, which keeps you toasty all night long!
7. Avoid Hat Hair
In the winter, styling your hair is almost pointless. Once you put a hat on, you're basically screwed. However, there is a way to avoid that! Keep dry shampoo with you or at work and spray some on your hair when you take off your hat. A little fluff with your hands will bring your hair right back to normal!
8. Non-Stick Snow Shovel
Shoveling snow is possibly the worst part about winter. However, there's a way to make it a little easier. Spraying your shovel with a non-stick cooking spray or silicone-based lubricant will allow the snow to roll off your shovel easily! It may only cut seconds off your time, but those are seconds you could be spending indoors nice and warm.
9. Save The Heat, And Some Money
If your home is still heated by a space heater or stand-up radiator, this one is for you. Instead of losing that heat through the wall, add a piece of aluminium foil behind the heater. This way, the heat will reflect off the foil and into your home, as opposed to out into the wild.
10. Ziploc Your Mirrors
Sometimes your mirrors take forever to de-frost in the morning, and you can't really drive until they do. That's why adding Ziploc bags to your mirrors overnight will stop them from frosting up.
11. Keep On Biking
Sometimes people like to bike through the winter, but it can be expensive to get snow tires for your bike and it's fairly dangerous without them. If you wanted to keep biking in the winter, you can attach zip ties around your tires every few inches to provide the necessary traction.
12. Keep Your Tall Boots Tall
The taller the boots, the harder they are to stand up. This can make things tricky if you have a small space but a lot of boots to put away. By using pool noodles (or any other type of tall, straight object) you can keep your boots standing tall. This makes them easier to store, and also helps keep their shape longer!
13. Always Face East
If you don't have time to sit and defrost your car in the morning, make your sure you park it so the windshield faces east. This way, the morning sun will melt the frost off your car before you head off to work!
14. Charge It
If you're really stuck in a bind and your car is frosted over, you can always use your credit card. No, not to pay someone. The card itself can scrape the frost off your windshield easily, or you can even use a plastic spatula if you happen to have one of those lying around!
15. Super Socks!
Keeping socks on your windshield wipers will help prevent them from icing over and getting stuck to your windshield. That way, when you need to wipe your windshield, you can ensure you get a clear view!