How to Make a Cardboard Windshield Sunscreen
Leave the car out in the sun during the summer, even for a few minutes, and the inside can heat up to well over 100 degrees. Then, when you come back, you burn your hands on the steering wheel and fry your legs on your seat. There is an easy solution that can help prevent your car interior from overheating: Build a windshield sunscreen. With a few simple materials, you can keep your car warm on the inside, instead of hot.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure the dimensions of your windshield (height and width) from the inside of your car. Write the dimensions down.
-
2
Get an old cardboard box that is large enough to fit into your windshield. Measure out the size of your windshield on the box, and cut it out with a box cutter. Cut the box in such a way that the seam of one of the folds is in the center, so that the windshield sunscreen will be easy to fold. On the top center of the cut-out cardboard, cut a 3-inch-by-3-inch notch to fit around your rear-view mirror.
-
-
3
Cover one side of the cardboard with aluminum foil so that the shiny side is visible. Make sure there is a little overlap on the edges so you can tape the foil down. Run the tape along all the edges of the cardboard so the aluminum foil remains secure. Then, on the seam where the sunscreen is folded, run a piece of duct tape along the fold to prevent any foil from tearing when folded.
-
4
Place the windshield sunscreen into the windshield so that the notch cut in Step 3 is in line with the rear-view mirror. Lower the overhead visors on both the driver and passenger sides to hold the screen in place.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You can do the same for your rear window but will need to have something in your car to prop the screen up and hold it in place against the window.
If your box cutter isn't sharp, you may have a tough time cutting the box properly.
References
- Photo Credit Summer sun image by Sergey Tokarev from Fotolia.com
