Car Expert Says You Should Rub A Potato On Your Windshield

It turns out potatoes – which have long been used by practical jokesters to jam up tailpipes – have a practical use for cars, too.

Cutting a potato in half and rubbing the exposed side all over a vehicle’s windshield can prevent it from icing over in the winter and getting foggy in the rain, according to the John Clark Motor Group. “This one really isn’t just an old wives’ tale,” the company reports. “Rubbing the cut side of half a potato against the outer surface can make a real difference.”

The reason the trick works is sugar from the potato creates a layer between the glass and the frozen surface, says The Weather Network’s Mia Gordon. That makes the ice easy to brush away with windshield wipers, she says.

What’s your favorite hack?