How Often Should I Wash My Car in the Winter?

While you should always keep your car clean and maintained throughout the seasons, it is especially important to wash your vehicle in the winter. Whether you live in the city or drive through the elements, salt, dirt, dust, and even dry leaves can affect the well-being of your car. It’s best not to allow dirt or salt to cake on parts of your vehicle. Normally, you should give your car a thorough wash every two weeks to a month, but in the winter, it’s best to wash it more often.

How Often Should I Wash My Car in the Winter?

The simple answer is you should wash your car every week in the winter. However, how often you wash your vehicle is also dependent on where you drive, how you store your car, the weather, and road conditions. A trip to the car wash can prevent salt from caking onto the vehicle’s body and rusting vital parts. The last thing you want is for your car to break down, or end up needing more expensive repairs to its frame because of salt deterioration in the winter.

If you live in or drive through the city, or park your car outside for most of the day and night, you should consider going to the car wash more often than you do in other seasons. Even if you live outside of the city where there is less salt (and more snow), you should still be vigilant and consider more frequent car washes during winter months. Most people living in and around the Richmond area would benefit from visiting their local car wash more often – it can prevent serious car trouble later on.

Don’t Forget to Wax This Winter

It is recommended to wax and detail your car twice a year. If you do so regularly, you’ll notice that weather conditions don’t affect your car as much. Wax has more benefits than making your car look shiny and new. It prevents corrosive substances – like salt or bird droppings – from damaging your car. A smoother exterior helps these materials slide off your car, instead of sticking to the car’s exterior.

What Salt Does to a Car

Salt on the roads keeps cars safe while driving in snowy and icy conditions. While salt can be vital when driving on snowy, icy roads by preventing drivers from sliding on slick surfaces, salt does damage vehicles after continued exposure.

The most common issue is that salt will rust your car. You’ll notice the difference immediately in cars that were not taken care of during the winter – the brown rusty spots are not easy to remove, and you may have to replace rusted parts entirely. You can rust-proof your car, but even that is not a guarantee. The best way to prevent your car from being damaged by salt is to wash it weekly.

Local Car Wash

Flagstop Car Wash has eleven convenient locations around the Central Virginia area. Our trained experts will make sure your car leaves in great condition and is ready to face harsh winter weather. We offer full-service wash locations, express automatic washes, and stations for self-service washing if you prefer to do it yourself. With an A+ rating by the BBB, expect friendly and honest customer service at every visit to our car wash locations. Stop by today and see how we can help your car stay clean this winter!