How Often To Wash Your Car in Winter

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Winter is different than other seasons: cold weather, snow, salt on the roads, etc. To keep your car in the best condition, it’s important to wash it regularly. In this post, I’ll show you how often you should wash your car during winter period to keep it as clean as possible.

Key Takeaways:

During wintertime, you should wash your car at least once every two weeks.
If you keep your car in the garage most of the time, you don’t have to wash it so frequently.
Washing a car in winter is extremely important to keep your car rust-free for years.

How Often To Wash a Car In Winter

You should aim to wash your car at least twice a month during the winter season. That will be more than enough to keep your car rust-free but also clean most of the time.

If you have enough free time, it’s always better to wash your car more often, such as once a week. This is what I try to do every winter. That way, your car will be clean all the time.

There’s no need to wash your car every single day or after every drive. It will cost too much, and the effects aren’t so much different when compared to washing your car once a week.

Factors Affecting Winter Car Wash Frequency

Two main factors affect the frequency of washing your car during winter.

Weather Conditions:

Snow: While snow itself isn’t the main issue, the road salt used to prevent ice certainly is. This salt can cause rust and corrosion on our cars. If it’s snowing, I recommend washing your car every week to get rid of the road salt and grime.
Rain: When it’s raining, it’s actually good for our cars. The rainwater helps clean the undercarriage. However, I’d still suggest giving your car a proper wash once every two weeks to ensure all residues are removed.
Sun/Dry Conditions: On sunny days or when there’s no rain or snow, I stick to the general rule of washing my car twice a month to keep it looking its best.

Parking Situation:

Garage Available: I can’t stress enough how beneficial it is to have a garage. A car in a garage is protected from the elements. If you have one, I’d advise parking your car inside, especially if you’re not planning to drive it for a few days.
No Garage: For those who, like me, don’t have a garage, don’t worry. While having a garage is a plus, there are plenty of products out there that can protect your car even when it’s parked outside.

What Type Of Car Wash Service To Get?

You need to know that just having a shiny car doesn’t mean that it’s really clean. Maybe from the outside, but what’s with the undercarriage?

During the winter, you should always get a car wash that has undercarriage washing included – this will clean mag-chloride, salt, sand, and ice from the undercarriage of your car.

The best way to wash your car is to take some high-pressure car wash since you will easily reach all the parts with it.

Is It Bad To Wash Your Car In The Winter?

I think that by now, you realize how important washing your car in the winter is. There’s not a single thing that’s bad about washing your vehicle during winter. Just follow this guide on washing cars, and you’re good to go.

Furthermore, if you forgot to apply paint protection to your car, make sure to apply it as soon as possible since paint protectants (waxes, sealants, ceramic coatings) are especially important for making your car shiny and easy to keep clean.

Tips To Keep Your Car Clean Through The Winter

Here are a few simple tips you should follow to keep your car clean through the winter period:

Wash a car at least twice a month. I already explained that above. Washing your car twice a month is enough to keep the car clean from road salt, grime, etc.
Pay attention to the undercarriage. Most of the dirt is trapped in the underbody elements of a car. Regularly wash the undercarriage to get rid of contaminants.
Prepare your car for winter. It’s important to prepare your car for winter, especially because some of the preparation steps include applying paint protectants to the car’s paint.
Avoid puddles. Driving through paddles will splash dirty water on your car, making it covered in dirt, salt, and other contaminants. If you can’t avoid puddles, drive slower.