Is this common?

[Pam]

It was very cold here this morning - hovering right around 0º - DD's car doors were frozen, so my DS went out with a can of De-Icer (we had never used that before). He came back into the house within a couple of minutes holding his fingers. (of course he wasn't wearing gloves, he's a teen! )

He said his fingers were stinging, I attributed that to the cold. I proceed to go outside (in my pajamas and housecoat, but also with a coat, hiking boots, and gloves!) and spray the De-Icer as well. Next thing I know, my fingers are also stinging as the De-Icer ran down the can and saturated my gloves.

We finally got the doors open and went to town scrapping the windows. All the time, my fingers are smarting big time! (And of course are very, very cold!)

Is there something in the De-Icer to cause this?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Yes, probably an alcohol or methenol, which is highly evaporative and therefore cooling.

 

[Curly Q]

I don't know about the de-icer, but it was very nice of you and your DS to clear your DD's car for her!! Does the can say anything about getting (or not to get) it on your skin??

 

[Pam]

Thanks, Dan!

Curly Q,
I don't know, DD stuck the can in her car! All I know is that almost 3.5 hours later, my fingertips still sting a tiny bit - so I wonder how DS is doing! And he had bare hands!!

DS is in 8th grade, DD is in 11th - she takes him to school each morning, so he usually goes out early and starts her car and cleans it off in exchange for the ride. I went out to try and help this morning. DD came out with a bucket of hot water, and eventually got the doors to open.

 

[Diane]

I thought I was the only one who’s car doors froze shut! I usually put sheets of plastic (trash bags) in one or two of the doors and it seems to prevent the freezing. Forgot to do it last night, though. Luckily, I found a can of de-icer, but didn’t have any problems because I was wearing my leather gloves.

 

[Pam]

Diane,
DD bought this car all by herself last spring - it's a '95 Chevy Lumina. She was out there muttering to herself, "This is what I get for buying a piece of crap!" I tried to explain to her that the car is actually a very nice one, in good condition, it's just that some cars' doors have a tendency to freeze. I know that my '91 Ford Aerostar minivan did the same thing.

Please explain what you do with the bags, do you stick them half-in, half-out the doors and then shut the doors??

 

[Pin Wizard]

I don't miss that at all. Thanks for reminding me why I left NJ!

 

[Diane]

Oh my gosh, my piece of crap…er, car is also a Lumina – a 96! It was a ‘gift’ from my mother – I gave her my 90 Chevy Corsica (which had the same problem!) and she gave me the Lumina. (She later donated the Corsica for a nice tax write off.) All this time, I thought it was just me or something I was doing. I even tried buying some special spray for around the doors and used cooking spray at someone’s suggestion. Nothing worked ‘til I tried the trash bags.

I take the flat, unfolded bag(s) and lay 1 or 2 around the door frame. It’s tricky sometimes if it’s windy. Usually, just the bottom of the door frame is enough, though sometimes I lay one going up near/along the windshield. Then I close the door so the bag is half in and half out of the door (actually, trying to get as much in as possible, to limit how much can be seen). It looks really stupid, especially if the bag is blowing in the wind, but it seems to work. That’s all that matters to me.

 

[browneyes]

Tell your dh you need a BIG garage.

There's probably something in the can for pressurization or to help activate the junk in the can so it'll heat up when exposed to air.

 

[Pam]

Diane,
That is toooooo funny! We will try the bag trick tonight. I have noticed that this only happens even it starts out as rain and then freezes. Yesterday's snow was very slushy, so that probably had the same effect.

Shannon,
Very, very small garage at a very, very weird angle. I think the garage was made for a Yugo - we can't get any car in there - but it's great for DH's boat!

 

[browneyes]

Pam, don't ask your dh for a Yugo.

 

[Pam]

Shannon,
*lol*!!! At this point I don't think our budget would ever permit a mountain bike!!

 

[worm761]

i just wanted to add this~ to prevent your car doors from freezing shut, put a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the seals.

i havent had a frozen door after this!

 

[Mrs. Grumpy]

Thank God I live in Texas!! Reading about ya'lls problem did give me a good laugh!!!!!!!!

 

[Diane]

Originally posted by worm761
i just wanted to add this~ to prevent your car doors from freezing shut, put a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the seals.

i havent had a frozen door after this!

I think I tried it before and still had problems. But it's worth another try. Maybe I'll vasaline one door and trash bag another. Thanks!

Once I could only get into one of the back doors and had to jump over the seat into the front. It wasn't a pretty sight.

 

[worm761]

i started using this trick when i was pregnant with DS. i had this awful craving for pizza. and i couldnt just order it. i HAD to go get it. dont ask. anyway, the car door was frozen shut and i stood out in the horrible cold for over a half hour chipping away at the door with the key! got in the car and got my pizza. DO NOT mess with a pregnant woman and her cravings!!! LOL