Spring fever is settling in, along with its most visible emissary. That most deleterious denizen of all flora. The king in yellow. Boon to plants and bane to paint jobs. Pollen.
If you walked out to your car in the last week and didn’t recognize it under the fluffy, yellow coating it had received, you aren’t alone. Pollen is everywhere, and what you may not know is it’s more of a problem than just looking ugly.
What we perceive as a thin layer of yellow dust is, on a microscopic level, more like a field of tiny hooks and needles. Imagine a gumball from a sweetgum tree and then shrink it down and that is what a single pollen particle looks like. All those hooks and prongs are how pollen clings to your clothes, your dog, and the pores in your car’s paint. The hooks by themselves are not the most damaging aspect.
As Detailed Image explains, the worst part about pollen is acidity. The acidity of various pollens is commonly activated when it comes in contact with water, so just waiting for a rain shower to clean off your car won’t cut it. Acidity can do everything from stain your car to accelerate the spread of rust. Now you know why the pollen has to go, but how can you do it without negatively affecting your paint?
Wash your car with soap. No brainer, right? Well lots of people like to just take a hose to their car at the first sign of pollen, but that isn’t good enough. Remember, water can activate acidity by itself. It’s important to use soap in order to safely encapsulate pollen before you wash it away. Take your time, get to know your car, and give it a nice sudsy massage. Also, if you just try to get rid of the pollen by wiping it down with a cloth, you can end up scratching the paint by rubbing the abrasive pollen against it.
Wax on, wax off. Just like Mister Miyagi taught you, a fresh coat of wax after you wash your car will replace a caustic coating with a protective one. The wax will make it harder for the pollen to stick on, and that way a simple rinse will work.
Change your cabin filter and keep your windows closed. The benefit to having a clean car on the outside will mean that less pollen will find its way into your car, but there are other steps you can take, too. If you aren’t in the habit of doing so, you should change your car’s cabin filter. This will keep your ventilation system from bringing pollen in from the outside. Setting your A/C to recirculate will help, too, and you can also roll your windows up to close off a direct avenue.
So there you have it. These are just a few simple and logical pointers to help you pulverize pollen. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments or with a visit to Leith Ford.
Pollen is a nuisance for more reasons than what it will do to your car. Here are some additional links for those of you concerned about allergies.
What is pollen?
What is the pollen season in North Carolina?
What is the pollen forecast for Raleigh?