Spring time in Georgia – 70 degree weather weekends, March madness, more sunlight in a day, and POLLEN! I have received a few emails this past month from readers asking for tips to keep the green stuff at bay and cars clean.
To my readers who know me personally I know that there may be a conspiracy theory that I am trying to get everyone to wash and polish their cars…and…they’re correct! Adding a coat of polish to your vehicle’s painted surfaces will make it easier for the pollen to wash off. Here are some of the other tips I have for you in order to keep your vehicle from being more of an allergen trap than your daily chariot.
1) When cleaning your vehicle pay special attention to the vinyl trim around the windows. Wash the sections with soap and water and lower the windows and clean as much of the tracks as possible. Pollen and other particles often get lodged here whenever we lower our windows at drive-thrus or on a nice day and do not help those of us with allergies. Open your sunroof/moonroof and clean the surrounds with a damp cloth being careful not to press to firmly on the closing mechanism on most roofs. Wipe the interior glass of as well.
2) Apply Rain-X or similar chemical to cleaned glass surfaces. It does a wonderful job keeping the surface clean and the compound that keeps water beading when it rains also acts as a repellant to the sticky pollen. When cleaning the windshield be sure to clean the windshield wipers and replace blades if necessary as well as cleaning the washer nozzles and topping off the washer fluid.
3) Take a lint free cloth and squeeze some fresh lemon juice on to the cloth. Wash the cloth in warm to medium hot water and wipe down vents and consoles. You can follow up with a vinyl/leather protectant. I recommend Meguires or Mothers’ “non-shiny” cleaners as they do not attract dust.
4) Remove all mats from the vehicle and take the now damp cloth and wipe down the upholstery. For cloth seats make sure to use a wet/dry vac to remove excess fluid. For leather interiors use a leather cleaner and conditioner as part of basic leather monthly maintenance – more on that in another article.
5) Once the seats have been cleaned wipe under seats, door jams, and kick plates.
6) If your vehicle has a cabin air filter and you cannot remember the last time you replaced it this is the perfect time to do so. In many vehicles they are located behind the glove box and asking a team member at your local parts store may save you $70 or more in the markups dealers charge to install.
7) Once you have taken the time and energy to deep clean your vehicle keep the windows closed despite the gorgeous weather for the next few weeks.
Beyond keeping your vehicle clean these steps will hopefully alleviate some of your allergy symptoms. It is virtually impossible to keep dust and pollen from entering but following this initial deep clean a weekly wipe down with a damp warm lint free cloth will keep you in great shape through the green stuff!
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