Empire Covers Blog

Spring is here and most of us who live in cold climates have had about enough of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. We welcome the new, warmer season with open and somewhat pasty arms. Flowers, light sweaters, and warmer weather are here to stay. With the joys of spring come some not so welcomed contributions such as pollen, bird dropping, and lots and lots of rain. If you’re not careful, these seasonal offerings can severely damage the exterior of your car. Take the following steps to ensure that your car sparkles this spring.

Pollen, one of spring’s most prevalent participants, not only causes harm to your respiratory system, but can damage your car as well. Microscopically, pollen is a sharp pronged form of grit. When it touches the exterior of your car, it can settle and become very difficult to remove. If you try to wipe it off with a rag or towel, pollen can cause swirls in the paint. To remove pollen with minimal damage to your paint, try cleaning it off with a micro-porous cloth.

We can thank spring for another auto enemy, bird droppings. If parked outside for an extended period of time, it’s not uncommon to find your car covered in it. Bird droppings are highly acidic and can erode paint. Especially if left in the sun, your car can suffer from these avian deposits. No-salt seltzer water, which is basically water and carbon dioxide, is an easy and effective way to clean bird droppings off your car.

Spring cleaning, whether you like it or not, isn’t just for your house. Deep cleaning your car every spring helps it to run longer and increases its resale value. Both the interior and exterior take a beating during the winter months when salt, ice, mud, and snow cover the roads. The following are some of the things you can do to freshen up your ride this spring.

First, clear away any clutter that that built up over the year. Make sure you get the hard to reach places like under and between the seats, door panels, and trunk. Next, clean the interior with a vacuum and wipe down all hard surfaces like the dashboard, cup holders, and steering wheel. When you’re done with the inside, move to the exterior by washing it down with soap and water. Scrub down tires, front grille, and license plate. When you’re done, apply a coat of wax to maximize your cars shine. One of the most important things you can do is clean your windows, which should be done regularly. Make sure they are unobstructed and streak free so you can see traffic clearly. When finished cleaning, organize your car so that it’s neat and clutter free. Only keep things in your car that are necessary. Another thing you can do is make sure your paper work such as registration and insurance information are up to date.

All this cleaning seems like hard work, but it’s worth it for you and your car in the long run. At Empirecovers.com we have a number of car covers that will protect your car this spring. Whether it’s dirt, sun, rain, pollen, or bird droppings, our covers will provide the top protection. Call us today and learn about our special discounts.

Tags: bird droppings, Car Covers, car protection, pollen, seasonal car protection

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 9:48 am and is filed under Car Covers, Car Protection Advice, Car Protection Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.