A Potato is All You Need to Fight the Idaho Frost this Winter

What's worse than losing your ice-scraper-thing on a frosty morning?

Nothing; especially if you're still in jammies and uncaffeinated.

If you've ever been in a hurry on one of Idaho's frosty winter mornings and you can't find your scraper tool, the last thing you want to do is suffer through the annoyance of de-icing your windshield with a spatula. (We're speaking from personal experience here.)

But did you know that a natural, simple kitchen staple like potatoes can get you out of a bind in this situation? It's 100% true. 

Before Jack Frost starts nippin' at your nose, let's dive into this handy and somewhat surprising trick every Idahoan can benefit from!

Potatoes are Mother Nature's Antifreeze.

Potatoes, believe it or not, can help defrost your windshield in three simple steps.
1. Grab a couple of room-temp potatoes from your pantry.
2. Slice them in half so you have two flat, starchy surfaces.
3. Take one of your halved potatoes rub it vigorously across the icy windshield.

After a few minutes of washing your windshield with the potato, the ice should start to melt to pretty quickly. Sounds crazy, right? Well, it's actually science.

Defrosting your windshield with potatoes is backed by science.

According to Motor Biscuit, a go-to website for gear-heads, the potato's natural moisture and starch content are what makes the tuber an ice-fighting ninja.

As you run it across the cold glass, the potato's moisture interacts with the ice, helping to melt it. The starchy surface of the potato creates friction, making it easier to break down the ice. After your windshield is ice-free, wipe away any potato residue and you're good to go.

Traditional methods of de-icing your windshield work just fine.

You can always opt for traditional de-icing methods like a de-icer spray or an ice scraper, but we love the potato method as a fun, environmentally-friendly alternative.

So the next time you're out of antifreeze, or you can't find your scraper-thing, we challenge you to try the potato trick!

Send us pics of your potato-defrosted windshield to ryan.valenzuela@townsquaremedia.com.