Pollen Season and Your Car: What You Need to Know

Springtime in Ohio brings warmer weather, blooming flowers, and, unfortunately, a heavy blanket of pollen covering everything—including your car. While pollen is often seen as just a seasonal nuisance, it can actually cause long-term damage to your vehicle’s exterior, clog essential filters, and even affect your driving comfort. If you want to protect your car during pollen season, here’s what you need to know.

How Pollen Affects Your Car

Pollen isn’t just a harmless layer of yellow dust—it’s made up of tiny, sticky particles that can get into every part of your vehicle. These particles don’t just sit on the surface; they can embed themselves in your car’s paint, clog your air filters, and even make their way into your engine. Over time, this buildup can lead to performance issues and costly repairs if not addressed.

Protecting Your Car’s Exterior from Pollen Damage

1. Wash Your Car Regularly

Leaving pollen on your car for too long can lead to paint damage. Pollen contains acidic compounds that, when mixed with moisture from rain or morning dew, can eat away at your car’s clear coat. The best way to prevent this is by washing your car frequently—ideally once or twice a week during peak pollen season.

When washing your car:

Use a pH-balanced car soap to break down pollen without stripping wax or sealants.
Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of pollen before wiping or scrubbing to avoid scratching the paint.
Dry with a microfiber cloth to prevent water spots.

2. Apply a Protective Wax Coating

A good layer of car wax acts as a barrier between your car’s paint and pollen, making it easier to rinse off. A ceramic coating provides even stronger protection, keeping pollen from sticking and reducing the frequency of washes needed.

3. Keep Your Car Covered

Whenever possible, park in a garage or under a car cover to minimize pollen exposure. If covered parking isn’t an option, using a car cover can help keep pollen from settling on your vehicle overnight.

Pollen and Your Car’s Interior

Pollen doesn’t just stay outside—it can easily make its way into your car’s interior, affecting air quality and making allergies worse for you and your passengers.

4. Replace Your Cabin Air Filter

Your car’s cabin air filter is the first line of defense against pollen entering through the vents. If it’s clogged with debris and pollen, it won’t be able to effectively filter the air, leading to musty odors and increased allergy symptoms inside your car. Replacing the filter at the start of pollen season ensures that you’re breathing cleaner air while driving.

5. Use the Recirculation Mode on Your AC

Instead of pulling in outside air (and more pollen), use your car’s recirculation mode when running the AC. This prevents new pollen from entering through the vents and helps maintain cleaner air inside the cabin.

6. Vacuum and Wipe Down Surfaces Frequently

Pollen can settle on your dashboard, seats, and floor mats, making the inside of your car just as affected as the outside. Regularly vacuuming and wiping down surfaces with an anti-static interior cleaner can keep pollen from accumulating inside your car.

How Pollen Can Affect Engine Performance

Just like pollen can clog your cabin filter, it can also clog your engine air filter, restricting airflow to your engine. A dirty air filter can lead to reduced fuel efficiency, sluggish acceleration, and overall poor engine performance. Checking and replacing your engine air filter during pollen season ensures your car runs efficiently.

Stay Ahead of Pollen Season with Annie’s Auto

Pollen may seem like just an inconvenience, but if left unchecked, it can lead to long-term damage to your car’s paint, interior, and even engine performance. Taking simple preventive steps, like washing your car regularly, replacing filters, and using AC recirculation, can help keep your vehicle in great shape throughout the season.

Don’t let pollen affect your car’s performance or your allergies. Stop by Annie’s Auto for a seasonal inspection and keep your ride fresh and clean!

Visit one of our four Ohio locations for expert service: