When the first snow of the season falls, you know that you’re in for a difficult drive once again. The streets are either slick or slushy and visibility is greatly reduced. Worst of all, your car will once more be subjected to the deadly concoction of road salt, grime, grease, moisture, and dirt. If your car could only speak out, it would probably tell you how much it hates the winter season. Cold weather car care if not attended to before winter hits can lead to a very difficult situation.

Cold weather car care is something that is best left to the experts. But if you’re on a tight budget, you’re going to have to put a little elbow grease into your car and make do with DIY detailing for now. Luckily for you, there are tons of helpful DIY detailing tips on the Internet that you can turn to for just about any car issue. However, you have to take these tips with a grain of salt—some of them are common sense and really useful, while others are just plain outrageous. You might end up damaging your precious car permanently, rendering it useless just when you need it the most.

Before you begin your cold weather car care at home, you should check out your vehicle from top to bottom first. Find out if there are special areas of concern that you’re not sure you can handle by yourself. Gather the sufficient amount of the right cleaning tools and materials to help you with the job, so you will not have to go rushing off to the hardware store when you realize that you don’t have enough clean microfiber cloths to dry your car with.

Steam cleaning is still the best, most efficient, and quickest way to get your car clean, even during the dead of winter. However, if you don’t have the resources to get professional mobile detailing services with steam regularly, you can just purchase your own steam machine and do the job at home.

Avoid These Winter Situations

What are the things that you should avoid when you use steam for cold weather car care? Here are just a few:

1. 1. Do NOT steam clean your car outside. When the temperature is below freezing, steam cleaning can only be conducted indoors. Your garage should provide you with ample space to get the job done.
2. 2. Do NOT wear flimsy clothing when detailing your vehicle. Heavy clothes will protect you from the harsh temperature, but it will also slow you down as you work, especially when reaching into tight spaces in your car.
3. 3. Do NOT attempt to clean the salt residue clinging to your windshield with any sharp object. The experts know how to safely and effectively remove salt residue from all over your vehicle, including the stubborn patches that have clung to your windows. It is best to leave the job to them so you don’t damage the car.

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