If you'd like a clever and cheap way to keep windows, goggles, and other glass and plastic surfaces from fogging up, you can use a potato to keep the vision-blocking condensation at bay.


Photo by jimmihomeschoolmom.

We're almost out of the so-cold-your-breath-fogs-the-windshield weather in most of the US but this trick works for everything from windshields to swim goggles. Over at the how-to site wikiHow they've shared a guide to using a cut potato to keep your windows fog-free.

1. Cut a raw potato in half. Be sure to use a clean potato, so wash it first if it is coated in soil. This is a good opportunity to use up an old potato that has started to sprout and is past its best.

2. Rub the cut part of one half potato on the window. This will clean it and leave a layer that will prevent fog from forming on the window.

3. Use the other half if needed. You can also cut off dirtied slices and keep using the existing half if wished.

4. Leave to dry without touching.


We thought it sounded too cheap and easy to actually work so we grabbed a potato and went and rubbed a raw slice on the shower door, window, and mirror in the bathroom. After a few minutes of steamy hot water the surfaces did in fact remain fog free. How well it lasts over time and how it compares to a $7 bottle of anti-fog spray from your local sporting goods store is open for debate.

Have a clever use to share? Let's hear about it in the comments.

Keep Car Windows Fog Free Using a Potato [wikiHow]