How to Fix a Cracked Windshield with Household Items? Learn the Easiest Hacks Possible!

Imagine having your vehicle tuned just this morning, you hop in for a relaxing drive, enjoying the sceneries, and all of a sudden something out of nowhere takes a hit on your windshield, leaving behind an ever-expanding crack that needs to be fixed sooner than it appeared, what would you do? Of course, get to the internet, find out the DIY hacks to give your cracked windshield a temporary fix, and later have a permanent patch over it.

Now that you have taken to the internet, it becomes our responsibility to help you in this moment of dire need, which we will do in this guide, where you’d learn how to fix a cracked windshield with household items in all its glory.

But here’s a pre-script, all these hacks that we’d define in this guide are for temporary survival, they can’t be relied upon for longer durations. As soon as you can, you should drive to your mechanic, and get it repaired professionally, so it doesn’t let the air into your car. However, let’s get started with the different ways you can fill a crack in your windshield, and let’s ensure you don’t have to drive your car without one.

How to fix a cracked windshield with household items? — Fixing with super or crazy glue

The easiest and most convenient way to give your cracked windshield a temporary fix is by using super or crazy glue, or some people call it gorilla glue as well. However, you can use any one of them, as it holds enough power to keep the crack contained, the glass altogether, and your heartbeats in control, until and unless you are relying upon it on a permanent basis.

The reason we are mentioning this method here is that almost all the vehicles driven on the roads of the USA are equipped with these glues, and if you are not, you need to get one in your glove box, as you don’t know when you’d need to use it. That said, here’s how you can fix your cracked windshield using glue.

On the crack that unfortunately has taken place on your windshield, look for potential stains of debris or glass shards, and clean it off using a wet or alcoholic cloth, whatever you deem perfect for the job. Once you are done with cleaning, pick up the glue pack, cut through the packing, take out the glue, and gradually apply it to the fillings of the crack.

After applying the glue to the fillings, you need to wipe the overall crack to remove excess glue and level the surface for multiple reasons. Leave it to dry in a windy environment or park your car with the cracked spot exposed to the sun as it will dry it earlier, and once it is done, drive home or to the mechanic, totally up to you.

Also, don’t forget to drive slowly, as you have just repaired the chip, otherwise, you may counter another chip, and this time it will be bigger than the previous one. If you want to buy a precision pen that lets you apply the glue accurately, here is the link to the Amazon page, where you can get it for an affordable price tag.

How to fix a cracked windshield with household items?  — Fixing with a transparent nail polish

We know that sounds weird, but shouldn’t it be exciting for women, as something from their makeup box is finally proving to be useful. No harsh feelings. Anyways, first of all, you need to ensure you have nail polish in your car; as unless it’s a woman who owns the car, you can’t find one in your glove box. However, after ensuring the availability of the household item in your car, you then need to pull over in a shaded environment.

After that, analyze the size of the chip or crack on your windshield, as with the nail polishes, the size plays a vital role. If the crack is small, nail polish will fix it temporarily. However, if the crack is big, then you need to opt for the first method on this list, as you wouldn’t find nail polish a perfect match to fill in a larger crack, and that nail polish doesn’t hold enough potential.

Considering a small crack, in this case, we would suggest you clean the crack off potential dirt on and within it using an alcohol swab, and then continue filling it with clear or transparent nail polish for obvious reasons, as it’ll be visible from afar if you use a colorful variant. Also, opting for nail polish would leave minimal or no possibilities for your mechanic to repair it, leading to the only option of getting a complete replacement.

PS, apply for this method only if you are serious about getting the windshield repaired, as it won’t last for long; instead, may account for a drastic decrease in the lifespan of your windshield that was supposed to last for a few weeks with the glue hack.

How to fix a cracked windshield with household items? — Fixing with a solution of bug spray, salt, and alcohol

The second last option on this list is fixing a cracked windshield using an instant solution of bug spray, salt, and alcohol. Like all the methods on this list, you first need to ensure the availability of all ingredients in your car. If you are being proactive and learning it all before countering any crack on your windshield, grab an additional pack of each ingredient, and stock it in your car for repercussions.

Now that you have everything you need to make the solution, you need to continue blending all of it together, so much that all the ingredients are dissolved, and you can barely see anything in the solution. Coming to the quantities of all the ingredients, you need to mix 1 tbs of each ingredient in half a cup of water, and ensure that there is no salt after you have dissolved the blend.

This solution holds decent effectiveness in filling the crack on the windshield; however, like all the methods, it is still temporary. You’d need to let a professional look at the condition and follow his remarks afterward. That said, once you have made the solution, take a cloth or sponge, submerge it into the solution, and gently wipe it over the crack.

This way, the crack would be optimally filled and would have to be left in an open space to dry. Note that you need to level the surface before you leave it to dry, as leaving it intact might enhance the complexity of repairing. Some online sites don’t vote in the favor of this option, however, the effectiveness of this solution is independent of their opinion, which means it has our vote of confidence.

How to fix a cracked windshield with household items? — Fixing with a DIY kit, available on Amazon

The last option in this list and probably out there as well, you can fix the cracked windshield using the DIY kit that is available locally and that you can order from Amazon for an extremely affordable price tag. These DIY kits are professionally manufactured, which is one of the pointers for their credibility, or should you take it as a reason why you should opt for them.

We’d suggest you don’t pay great heed to what others say unless they are celebrated experts of automobiles, and their opinion holds value in their respective circles. As for the procedure of applying the DIY kits to the cracks on windshields, you would usually find them on the back of packs, or here, on the guides alike.

The procedure is quite simple, just unpack the kit, clean the affected area off the debris and dirt (there is no apparatus for that in the kit), pump out the stand on the surroundings of the crack, load the resin, and apply it over the chip, that’s pretty much it, you now have an almost new windshield that barely requires any professional inspection.

Repairing the windshield crack using a DIY kit is quite more effective than any of the other methods on this list, which makes it reliable enough to consult with a professional (if you can) and get over with filling the entire crack within minutes of endeavors. We are including a few Amazon links for your reference, where you can find a great variety of DIY kits, and choose what suits you the best.

Blue-Star JAAGS, do it yourself, windshield repair

Rain-X, fix a windshield, DIY kit

These are the top-rated DIY kits to fix your cracked windshield within minutes, and they don’t cost a fortune that you’d need to think over the decision.

Does clear nail polish fix a cracked windshield?

Yes, to an extent, nail polishes do cater to the cracked windshields, but they can’t hold onto them for longer, as their formulation doesn’t allow them to go beyond that. You will soon need to get a professional checkup and get the crack filled (if possible) or replaced depending on the magnitude of the chip.

Are there other ways to fix a cracked windshield?

There could be hundreds of possibilities to fix a cracked windshield of your car, but they first need to be practiced and tested. Recommending them on the basis of mere hypotheses won’t be just, as we don’t know if they will work or not. However, there is one thing that we’d recommend, which is equipping your glove box with a transparent tape that you can draw over the crack to protect it from the dirt, and stop it from expanding, as it definitely works, no matter what does and what does not.

Apart from that, your mechanic would advise you the best on what you should do if you ever come across a crack on your windshield, regardless of what thing or material caused it.

For more information, visit our guide on: is windshield replacement for a damaged windshield necessary?

Conclusion

Cracked windshields must not be taken lightly, as they are quite dangerous for the fact that they may spread into the full-blown destruction of the windshield or weaken the adjustments so much that the windshield may crash on your face. Of course, there are hundreds of possibilities to fill those cracks, but all of them are not as effective as those listed in this guide.

Unfolding it further, the DIY kit among all of these options is the most reliable of them, as it even eradicates the need to get your car to a professional, and get it repaired or replaced for added caution. We are once again emphasizing the importance of being proactive and advising you to stay ahead of time by keeping all the necessary ingredients and kits in your vehicle. It would only help you not regret getting them at the right time, and not procrastinate.

We are confident that this guide would have brought a feeling of satisfaction to you, as you now know that you don’t have to stand helpless in the middle of nowhere, expecting everyone passing by to help you, and knowing someone barely would.

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