How to Clear Snow Off Multiple Cars: A Simple System

It snowed all through your shift, or all night, and now there are two or three cars in the driveway under a foot of it. Clearing several cars goes better with a plan than with a scraper and a lot of hope. Here's a simple system for clearing snow off multiple cars: what to do before the storm, what order to work in, and the tools that help.

Key takeaways

• Prep before the storm: park smart, cover the glass, and put a tool in every car.
• Start every engine and defroster first, then clear snow on all the cars before you scrape any ice.
• Work from the roof down and push snow away from the cars, not onto the one next door.
• Clear every car completely before it moves. A peephole isn't clear.

Before the storm

Park with the snow in mind

Leave room between cars so you can walk all the way around each one and have somewhere to push the snow. If you can, face the windshields away from the wind.

Cover the glass

A windshield cover or a tarp tucked under the wipers and held by the doors keeps ice off the glass. Lift it off and most of the snow comes with it.

Put a tool in every car

The scraper is always in the car that already left. Keep one in each car, stowed where the driver can reach it.

Top up the washer fluid

Winter-rated washer fluid in every car saves a trip back for the jug.

The system, car by car

1. Start every car and run the defrosters. Do this first, while you plan. Make sure exhaust pipes are clear of snow before any engine runs.
2. Decide the order. Clear the car that's leaving first, or the one blocking the others in.
3. Loose snow first, on every car. Start at the roofline and clear the sides of the glass and body. Then find the high point of the roof and push the snow forward over the windshield and hood, or off to the side, away from you. Move to the next car while the defrosters soften the ice.
4. Ice second. Back at the first car, scrape the windshield and rear window from the top down, one section at a time, then the side windows.
5. Wipers and lights last. Clear the wiper blades, the gap below the windshield, the headlights, taillights and the plate.
6. Check before it moves. Roof, hood, every window and mirror, lights. Snow left on the roof slides onto your windshield at the first stop, or onto the car behind you.

Plan where the snow goes

Pushing snow off one car onto the next doubles the work. Clear the cars from the outside of the row in, or push snow to the open side of each car. Keep a path clear so the cars can actually back out once they're done.

Tools that help with several cars

• A wide scraper blade. On three windshields, blade width adds up. A typical 4-inch scraper clears one narrow strip at a time.
• Something soft for snow on paint. A foam broom, a brush, or a rubber plow edge moves snow off the body without a hard blade touching the paint.
• A long-handled broom for very tall vehicles and deep snow on roofs.
• Warm, waterproof gloves. Wet gloves on the second car make the third one miserable.
• A snow shovel for the wheels and the path out.

Mistakes that slow you down

• Scraping ice before the snow is off. Snow falls back on the glass you just scraped.
• Using a hard blade on paint. Blades are for glass. Scratches are a bigger job than snow.
• Skipping the roof. It's the first thing to slide onto the windshield when you brake.
• Clearing a peephole and driving off. Clear every window on every car.
• Hunting for the tool. One per car fixes that.

Where The EDGE fits

We make The EDGE, so take this as our description. It's an 18 × 14-inch tray-style snow and ice scraper with no handle, so it stows flat or upright in each car. The paint-friendly Rubber Snow Plow clears loose snow from any surface, and the Tri-Force Blade System, the Primary 18" Bull Nose Blade and two 14-inch Extended Reach Blades, handles ice on glass only. It clears an 18-inch band with every pass, and a Wiper Blade Clearing Groove handles the frozen wipers. It's patented, comes with a 5-year guarantee on the unit, and costs $29.99.

For a household with two cars, The EDGE Driveway Duo is two units for $59.98, and it ships free. Running a fleet or a dealer lot? See The EDGE for business.

See The EDGE

Frequently asked questions

What's the best way to clear snow off several cars?

Start all the engines and defrosters first, clear loose snow off every car from the roof down, then come back and scrape the ice on each one, and finish with wipers and lights.

Should I clear snow or ice first?

Snow first. Scraping ice under loose snow means the snow falls back onto the glass.

How do I clear the roof of a tall SUV or van?

Use a long-handled foam broom, or stand on the door sill with the door open and push the snow away from you.

Do I really need to clear the roof?

Yes. Roof snow slides onto your windshield when you brake, and onto the car behind you on the road.