How to Spring Clean Your Car After the Winter

Feb 8, 2016

You might be wondering what’s so important about spring cleaning your car? Well, it’s not just a stubborn tradition. Here are the best ways to clean your car as the winter ends, and the reasons why.

Pre-Winter and Post-Winter Waxing

Road salt is a major risk to vehicles during and after the winter season. One good way to protect against the damaging minerals is by giving the paint job a fresh wax, at the start of winter starts and the beginning of spring. Other areas of your car can also suffer such as the wheels so remember to clean and protect them as well.

Washing Away Road Salt Residue

The residual road salt on your car can wreak havoc on it’s exterior, and even cause dangerous corrosion on the undercarriage. A thorough washing is all it takes to remove these minerals and protect your vehicle.

In some extreme cases, drivers who left salt residue on their undercarriage ended up with holes in their floor. Don’t shrug it off, because rinsing off the remaining salt that’s dried onto your car will save you a lot of stress. Just going to a paid car wash is good enough, if you can get the undercarriage rinsed. However, if you wash it yourself, be sure to add a few tablespoons of baking soda to the wash bucket, which will neutralize the salt.

The Perfect Wash and Rinse

Residual salt is imperceptibly small, so you’ll want to make sure that areas inside the wheels, around fenders, the trunk, hood, and movable parts such as door jambs are washed. If these areas are not thoroughly cleaned, you could very well see problems later.

When you wash your car, be sure to use a quality soap; ideally, one that it intended for automobiles. In particular, avoid dish soaps. Some of these soaps can wear away the clear coat of your car. If you’re still in the colder days of winter, there’s a risk that the

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