Keeping your car clean in winter can feel like an impossible task, as poor weather conditions contribute to covering your motor in muck.
Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist has warned that having a filthy car can be dangerous, with visibility reduced through the windscreen, number plates obscured and lights covered.
GEM says that roads are particularly dirty at the moment, because local authorities are spreading salt and farm vehicles are carrying mud onto the road.
Coupled with the fact the heavy rains in December washed a lot of mud and dirt onto the roads and the fact that a fairly dry January has seen little of it washed away, it can feel like a losing battle keeping your car clean.
With this in mind, GEM has put together some tips to keep your car in clean condition.
Wash, wipe and rub
You don’t have to give your car a full detail every day, but before setting off it’s worth having a quick check around the car and wiping down anything that might be obscured, such as lights and mirrors. Regular small jobs can save you time in the long run.
Top up your washer bottle
Keeping your windscreen clear is vital in water and grime can quickly build up. If you can’t clear this, the low winter sun can make visibility really tricky.
You’ll want to keep your washer fluid topped up and checked more regularly as you’ll use it more often in winter.
Watch out for your wipers
It can be tempting to use your wipers to clear ice in the morning, but you should avoid doing this as it can damage the blades. This can then make them less effective at clearing water when it’s raining.
Clean down low
You shouldn’t just focus on the larger, more obvious areas of the car when cleaning. With all the salt on the roads, the underside of your car will be covered and it can lead to corrosion in the long-term.
It’s a good idea to give your car a hose underneath, in the wheel arches and around the brakes as often as possible.
Keep your distance
When you’re driving on wet, dirty roads, you’re kicking a lot of that grime into the air behind you, covering the cars around you. With stopping distances increased in poor weather you should leave more space to the vehicle in front anyway, but another benefit is that your car might stay just that little bit cleaner.
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