5 Winter Hacks for Hacks That Forget How to Do Winter

Rachel Malone

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Winter is here! Ugh. As I was scraping off my windshield, this morning, with my Walgreen’s Reward Card, I had a brilliant idea for the next Fuse Duluth blog post: 5 Winter Hacks for Hacks That Forget How to Do Winter. As a native Minnesotan and a “seasoned” Duluthian, below are some tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years.

1. Prevent Icy Windshield with Vinegar

Supplies: Spray bottle, white vinegar, water, and an old rag

Directions: Mix 3 parts vinegar to one part water, in a small water bottle. Spray your windshield with the mixture, liberally. Then wipe off your windshield with the old rag.

In the morning, you will have a frost free (or relatively frost free) windshield! If you’re like me, you hate leaving the comfort of your home, early in the morning, to start your car. This can shave valuable minutes off of your morning prep by eliminating the strenuous scraping!

2. Place Beer (or other liquids) Between Inner and Outer Windows

Supplies: Bent Paddles’ Cold Press Black Ale in cans

Directions: Place the cans in between the inner window pane and the outer window/screen. If you don’t have the old school double window panes, place your beverages in a cooler, outside.

Free up some room in your refrigerator and let nature work for you! Downside- once we hit those double-digit-negative temperatures, bring that beer back inside. Nothing is worse than an exploded beer can in between two window panes.

3. Old Socks on Your Windshield Wipers

Supplies: Old socks

Directions: At night, lift your windshield wipers in their upright position and place old socks over the wipers.

Another time saver! Never lose the rubber wiper to a frozen windshield again! Keeping the wipers warm and cozy will ensure a greater scrape in the morning and reduced risk of breaking the wiper. If only, I would have thought of this last winter before I lost 3 sets of wipers to my frozen windshield.

4. Tinfoil Between the Wall and Your Wall-Mounted Heater

Supplies: Tin-foil and electrical tape

Directions: Place a layer of tin-foil, with electrical tape around the edges, on the wall behind your old school heater.

The tin-foil will reflect the heat back into your apartment/house and save your valuable heat (and money) from absorbing into the wall. Anything that can save you money on those wonderful Duluth heating bills!

5. Dry out Boots with Newspaper

Supplies: wet/soggy boots and old newspaper

Directions: Instead of placing you wet boots by a heater to dry out, stuff them with newspaper.

The newspaper will absorb the moisture quicker and more efficiently than the heat source. You may need to replace the newspaper a few times but it will help keep those valuable Uggs in pristine condition.