i was wondering what products/techniques others use to remove the build up of snow/ice from your car after a night of horrible weather.
A garage.
If it happens at work I use a brush & squeegee with an extendable hancle.
A friend likes a longhandled “snow pusher” (don’t know the correct nomenclature) with a relatively soft rubber pushing end. It seems to work great.
I have found the ice scrapers with a brass blade work the best for icy buildup. Take care of it as a bent tip can scratch a wind shield.
I get on the freeway and go the speed limit.
Really when it is really bad and the ice is covering functional parts like windows etc. I use the old scrapper that has a plastic blade on one end and a brush on the other. I do this while I am letting the car warm up. I drive out as soon as the car is fully functional. I drive a diesel so it takes a while to warm up.
There are times a hair driver on a long extension cord has been a life saver.
I don’t need to do this often as I have a garage, but I still travel.
Some times it takes a broom to sweep it off.
Sort of what ever works, and try to avoid anything that might damage the car or scratch the paint. Avoid using hot water. It does not stay hot long and when it gets cold, you just substituted ice for the snow that was there.
A garage. Just kidding.
I personally use one of those extendable telescoping scrapers with a blade on one side, and a squeegee and brush on the other. They’re not as cheap to buy, but if you buy a good one, they last for many years and do a great job. You will also feel superior to the poor slob next to you using the tiny little freebie scraper to laboriously clear their windshield. lol
If it’s really icy I don’t even try until the car’s defroster has had a chance to partially melt it. Those canned deicers are OK for a thin film of ice when you’re in a hurry, but are not very cost effective.
try to remember to lift the wiper blades before the storm … keeps them from freezing to the window and makes scraping easier.
My dad gave me a Snow Brum a few years ago as a Christmas present. It’s a rectangular foam “pusher” mounted on an extendable handle. It works as well as anything else I’ve ever used for removing snow, and it doesn’t scratch the paint.
In a pinch I’ve used a shop broom, which also works well for snow.
For ice I use one of several ice scrapers that I keep around.
If I know there’s a storm coming I lift the wipers off the windshield so they won’t freeze to the glass.
As others have mentioned, a garage works best…Moving SOUTH works pretty good too…
If it’s going to be an ice storm I put a space heater in the back seat and run a plug into the house. I get up in the morning (early) and plug the heater in then get ready, if I’m going to work. It’s takes about an hour.
If there’s a lot of snow, I use a broom to clear off the car, then put it in the back seat in case it snows while I’m in the office. I have found that everything can scratch the finish. Don’t pound on it to break ice, it will dent the car; lesson learned, use a rubber squeegee with a foam rubber flip side. Long handled ice scrapers with bristles helps too. I keep several types in my car year round because of the variety of weather we have here.
I use a good quality scraper and keep a spare in the door pocket. I start the car, turn on the rear window defogger and put the defroster on high. Even with a cold engine this creates enough heat to help clear it and keep it clear. It also makes it nice to get back into when you’re done. Make sure the headlights and tail lights are clear too.
I have used hot water on the doors after an ice storm, but you have to use a lot. That’s why I put the space heater in there. Not only can hot water make it worse, it will freeze on the ground and you can slip. I live on a hill and the car broke traction once and went into the street. Again, another reason for the heater :-
I have about a year and a half to go before retiring, then I’m looking for a warmer clime. My wife is ready to look for one tonight 
Rich
I use a kettle of hot water to unfreeze the doorlock mechanism and to unseal the driver’s door. Once I am inside I start the engine and let it warm up to defrost the windshield by normal means. True, it takes time, but that is all I need to start driving.
If you are in more of a hurry, use more hot water on the windshield ice. No need to worry about cracking the glass; automotive glass is extremely tough.
My last car had a fair amount of dimples from me breaking up the ice on the hood with the back end of my scraper.
My way, depending on how much snow is there, is to use the remote starter to get things heated up a little bit, then walk outside and tuck my hand into my coat sleeve slightly to allow the arm of my coat to clear any snow around the edge of my door, so no snow gets in when I open the door.
After that, I reach in, turn on the rear defrost, grab my scraper with the brush on the end and go to town sweeping the snow off just about everywhere, from the roof to the hood and back. I don’t like having some tard in front of me who left the 8 inches of snow on the roof of his car and having it blow on my windshield, so I clean off the whole car to avoid being that person.
After I’ve cleared the snow off, I’ll scrape any ice/frost off the windows, hop in and drive off.
Far too many times I’ve see where it looks like the driver just used their wipers to clear off the 4"+ snow off their windshield and drove off.
YES! However you might not find one at an auto parts store. I have one and it is marked as a “wallpaper scraper”. Works incredibly well on the windows and does not scratch. So much better than any plastic garbage.
Warm (not hot) water also works wonders.
We have two very large snow brush/scapers bought at a TRUCK STOP. This size is not normally sold in auto stores. You carry them in the trunk if you have backseat passengers.
You can also buy electric ones that plug into the cigarette lighter socket. Make sure the car is running when you use it. It can drain the battery quickly.
When I have to park outside in such bad weather (freezing rain, etc), I have a flewxible shield that fits on the windshield and has flex straps that go beteen the front doors to keep it in place. Nice to have a clear windshield first thing in the morning. You can buy these at any auto store, at least in the Northern states.
I like to try to avoid the problem by turning down the heat and the defrost a few blocks from home. This lessons the amount of melting and then the freezing on the windshield. I always put my wipers in the “up” position, little chance of them trying to come on if left in wrong position and much easier to clean around. I use Rain-X on the windows which seems to reduce the amount of ice and makes it easier to remove. In the morning, I have a foam snow broom and a push broom to clean the snow off the car. I also use the spray cans of deicer to soften up prior to scraping. We get lots of snow in “The Snow Belt” south of Buffalo, so many measures help.
I turn on car let it idle about 15 minutes with heat/defrost on full tilt and it melts.
If the snow is not very wet and fairly powdery, I use a leaf blower to blow the snow off. I used to have a 1999 Kia Sephia, it would not start well under 0 degrees and would not start under -10 degrees. When it got that cold I which was rare, I either had to start it every few hours or keep it running.
I have used hot water on windshields for years and havent damaged one yet…
You could also wrap the wiper blades in plastic and put them back down. On some cars, the blades won’t stay up.