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Those of us who only have on-street parking know the frustration of waking up on a snowy morning to find our vehicle completely buried in snow—a situation often made worse by passing snowplows that block it in even more. Digging your car out can be a challenge, but taking a few precautions and having the right tools ready can make it easier. Here’s everything you need to dig your car out when it is buried by snow.
Digging your car out from the snow actually begins before the storm hits. Prepping the car ahead of time will make it a lot easier to extract from snow drifts. Here’s what you need:
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Battery blankets. Your battery won’t be exposed to the snow, but it will be exposed to temperature extremes. Car batteries start to lose capacity when the temperatures reach freezing, and things just get worse from there—so if it’s cold enough to snow, it’s cold enough to stress your battery. A battery blanket can help by insulating your battery and keeping it warm enough to start your car, which is an essential part of getting it out of a snow-packed spot.
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Car covers. If you know snow is coming, you can save yourself some trouble by covering your car in some way. Even throwing a standard blue tarp and securing it with some twine or elastic straps can make it a lot easier to de-snow your car (you could also buy one of these enormous plastic bags, instead of a tarp). Other options include windshield covers that will make snow removal easier while also protecting your side-view mirrors.
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Grille covers. Ice and snow can get into your car’s ventilation system via the front grille, so buying a grille cover for your specific car make and model isn’t a bad addition to your snow prep.
After the universe has dumped several feet of snow on your car and the local snowplows have made the situation worse, you’ll need some tools to free the vehicle. A shovel, of course, is going to be necessary at a minimum, but a few more gadgets will make the job a lot easier and quicker:
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A remote starter. If your car doesn’t have a remote start feature, consider adding an aftermarket product. This will allow you to start the car before you even head out into the snow, ensuring that it’s warmed up and melting snow and ice off of itself before you even lift a shovel.
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A Snow Joe. The Snow Joe is a terrific tool—it’s a scraper and a finish-safe broom in one, with optional lights if you bother to pop batteries into it. If you don’t cover your car, or if your cover slipped and you still have snow to clear, the Snow Joe will make it easy.
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A cordless blower. Using your muscles to clear snow off your car is one way to do it. Another is to invest in a cordless blower, or, in a pinch, to drag your leaf blower out there to just blow the snow off. Whatever you do, don’t use a hair dryer or a heat gun—watching the snow melt off your car might be satisfying, but you can crack your windshield and harm your car’s finish by using heat in cold weather like that.
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De-icer. If the ice that has formed a shell on your car is thick and difficult to scrape, having some de-icer to safely melt it off will be a godsend. You can buy some to keep in the trunk, or make your own by mixing up two-thirds isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and one-third water. Adding a dash of dish soap will make it easier to spread so it sits on the ice to work instead of just draining off.
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Traction mats. Digging your car out is often just step one of getting it out of an iced-up spot. Some traction mats in the trunk will ensure you have enough friction to get off the ice sheet that has formed under your vehicle.
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Tow straps. Finally, if you’ve been out there for two hours and your car remains immobile despite your best efforts, you might ask someone to give you a quick tow, and for that you’ll need some tow straps. Having these in the trunk might just save the day when all the gadgets and products in the world can’t get that car out of the snow.
