People don’t usually think to wash their cars in the middle of winter. After all, who’s going to notice if your car could use a wash underneath all that snow and ice melt? The thing is, winter can be one of the most damaging times of year for your car’s exterior. Between road salts marking up your body’s exterior to soggy clothes dampening your upholstery, by spring your car will likely look as if it’s seen far better days.
Here’s why its important to wash your car in winter:
- Flush out the underbody of your car. Giving the body of your car an occasional wash-down during winter just to get the sludge off can go a long way, but some of the most serious damage can come as a result of road salts and other sludgy contaminants that can collect underneath your car. If it gets too bad, your car’s underbelly could start to rust, and that’s bad news no matter how you slice it.
- Waxing your car’s body can offer a great deal of protection from road salts, which is why ensuring your car’s waxed up before the winter strikes is such a good idea. But if you overlooked this critical protection, it’s never too late to give your baby a nice mid-winter wax servicing. Pay attention to the type of wax you use, however, as some aren’t meant to be used at low temperatures.
- No matter how hard you try, when it’s snowing it’s impossible to keep the interior of your car completely dry, unless it’s permanently parked. But if you’re going to be driving on a daily basis, there’s simply no way around making occasional puddles on your car’s interior as collected snow from your shoes and clothing begins to melt. To better protect your car’s interior, buy yourself some good quality floor mats and clean them frequently. As for your seats, there are certain protective sprays that you can use to head off moisture damage. Pay a visit to your local auto parts retailer for the best choice in either.
As it turns out, washing your car isn’t just a spring and summer activity. It’s a year-round obligation that serves not only to make your ride look as sweet as possible, but also to protect it from sustaining the kind of interior and exterior wear that can drive down its value.