It’s that time of year where windscreens get frosty and fingers go icy. The journey to work during the winter can be chilly, dark, and pretty miserable, however when you’ve got the right winter essentials it can make your mornings go a lot smoother! We’ve put together a short list of what we think are some top winter essentials for your morning commute, whether you’re driving or catching the train. As the saying always goes: prepare for the worst and hope for the best!
1) Ice Scrapers
Don’t let the weather catch you out! There’s nothing worse than having a frosty windshield in the morning and being late to work because you don’t have the right equipment to clear it. It may seem logical to just pour hot water over your windshield but we cannot emphasise enough how bad this is for your car! If the water is too hot it can cause your windscreen to crack, and surely that’s the last thing you’d want! A good ice scraper is key here, whether it’s a mini-one on a key-ring that you picked up at a promotional event, or a full-size scraper attached to gloves! Just ensure you’ve got one handy.
2) Hat and Gloves
The concept of losing 90% of your body heat through your head has been disproved, however there’s nothing worse than frozen fingers and numb ears on a chilly morning! As the temperatures drop, your blood becomes thinner so your extremities (i.e. fingers and ears) are left out in order for your brain and other essential organs to receive higher levels of blood supplies. Therefore, some fleecy gloves and a woolly hat are a match made in heaven on a wintery morning.
3) Fully Charged Mobile Phone
Has it ever happened to you when you’re on your phone when it’s cold outside, the battery levels are around 30% and then it suddenly switches off and claims that it’s out of battery? If you’re an iPhone user, this is because your phone uses a type of battery called Lithium-Ion, and although they have many advantages, they don’t do so well when the temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius. One study has shown that an iPhone left outside for 30 minutes dropped 14% battery life, whilst an identical iPhone left inside dropped only 1%. Therefore, it’s essential that you’ve got in-car and portable phone chargers on you most of the time so that you’re never stuck!
Don’t get caught out this winter. Ensure you’ve got all of these products with you and you’ll be able to get to work on time, with a full battery and warm hands!