Don’t take this the wrong way, but some of you need to take better care of your vehicles. It’s one thing to drive around with some dirt and mud on your vehicle after going off-roading, wearing it like a badge of honor for a day or so. But it’s another thing entirely to have enough bug splatters and bird poop on your ride that your windshield, hood, and roof are on the verge of being confused with a Jackson Pollock painting. Not only is this stuff unsightly for the rest of us sharing the road with you, but it can also damage your vehicle’s paint job.
I’m going to assume that you’re here because you want to keep your vehicle clean, but you’re not sure how. There’s no shame in not knowing something, so don’t worry. Together, we’re going to figure this out and make sure you know what you need to keep your vehicle clean in the summer. In particular, we will talk about what to do when you need to get stuff off your vehicle like the aforementioned dead bugs, bird droppings, and other debris. Tree sap is a particularly nasty customer to deal with when it comes to cleaning your vehicle, so we’ll cover that in detail.
Basics for Keeping Your Vehicle Clean in Summer
Before we dig into a few specific situations, let’s go over some important basics that you should consider when approaching any kind of vehicle cleaning in the summer. Some stuff is pretty much the same for any time of year, but there are some specific factors you should remember when washing your car in the heat. For starters, make sure you have the right tools and equipment for any car cleaning. This stuff isn’t expensive, but it’s important and includes:
- A couple of buckets
- Dedicated car cleaner/soaps
- Microfiber cloths
- A cleaning mitt (optional)
- Wax, polish, or similar product
That’s pretty much it for the basics. Each of those things is important, however, and specific. Don’t try to use general soap or dishwashing detergent to clean your car. Use a proper car soap or cleaner for your vehicle that’s made to clean without damaging your paint job. Similarly, don’t just use a rag or an old towel. Microfiber towels do a fantastic job of wiping away moisture evenly, helping to prevent streaking as you wash your vehicle. A cleaning mitt isn’t essential if you have something similar that’s made for washing cars, but it works well and can simplify things if you wash your car frequently.
When it’s time to wash your vehicle, park somewhere stable and in the shade. Washing your car in direct sunlight is a bad idea, particularly in the summer heat, because it can dry off your vehicle while you’re still washing it. This is a great way to end up with streaks and fight against the process. The ideal choice is an enclosed spot like a covered parking area or a car wash facility where you can wash your vehicle in an enclosure. A shady spot under a tree can work well but watch out for pollen or sap from those trees. That would defeat the purpose of the whole thing.
To actually clean your vehicle, follow the directions for the products you choose when it comes to things like dilution for your car cleaners and how to use them. It’s a good idea to work in small sections at a time. Spray cleaner on your tires first because they’re typically the dirtiest part of your car, then work from the top down to avoid getting an area you already cleaned dirty while washing another part. Wipe your vehicle dry with the microfiber towels to avoid water spots and streaks, and finish off with polish, wax, or a similar sealant to restore/protect your clear coat and paint job.
Getting Stuff off Your Car: Tree Sap
What about stuff stuck to your car? The first rule for anything that gets onto your vehicle is to clean it off as soon as possible. The longer you wait, especially in the summer heat, the more difficult it will be to clean and the greater the chance it will damage your paint. Tree sap is a particularly tricky thing to clean off because it’s incredibly sticky and contains a natural paint stripper in it, essentially making it like sticky turpentine on your vehicle.
The first thing you want to do is give your car a good wash to make sure you get dirt off of it. If you’re lucky, the sap might come off your car during washing, depending on the type of sap and how long it’s been there. If it does wash away, be sure to touch the area to check if it’s still sticky, even though you can’t see it. For stubborn sap that won’t just wash off, you have a few options available.
You can try cleaning it off with your usual car washing product at a higher concentration. This will depend on the type of cleaner you use and if the instructions mention different dilution levels for more intense cleaning. If this doesn’t work, you can try isopropyl alcohol in a small area, working at it with a soft cloth as carefully as possible. There are also dedicated cleaning products for stubborn things, like bug and tar removers or sap cleaners. These are specifically designed to clean off sticky items with minimal risk to your paint. Follow the directions, and after using them, thoroughly clean the area again and apply polish or wax to help restore your vehicle’s clear coat.
Getting Stuff off Your Car: Bird Poop
Not only does bird poop look gross on a car, it can also damage your paint. As it dries, it sticks to your clear coat and then retracts, meaning that it can peel and damage your paint. That’s why you want to clean such bird leavings off your ride as soon as you can to avoid this happening. You can follow the same steps for sap when dealing with bird poop, taking it one step at a time and trying harsher solutions if you struggle to get it clean.
Getting Stuff off Your Car: Dead Bugs
Dead bugs splattered on your vehicle can be just as much of a problem as anything else. Since you’re likely to get these on your windshield, they can also be detrimental to your visibility while on the road. Dealing with these critters is one of the best reasons to keep your windshield wiper fluid topped up in your vehicle, since a quick rinse and wipe while driving can often take care of them. During the summer, you can use special types of washer fluid with additives specifically to help remove insect remains off your windshield. You can also hope for a gas station with a squeegee and soap bucket, but those seem to be harder to find these days, especially with a full soap bucket.
Washing your windshield and car at home is a great way to clean off dead bugs. If you get critters or dried bird poop on your windshield that won’t come off, you can use a razor blade to scrape it off. Just be careful when doing so because razors can easily damage your vehicle or harm you if used improperly.
Getting Stuff off Your Car: Berries, Pollen, and More
Everything else can be handled in the same way as we’ve looked at. Berries can stain your vehicle in the same way as sap or bird droppings, so wash them off as quickly as possible and make sure you’re thorough when doing so. Other stuff like pollen, dust, and dirt will add up over time and is generally easiest to clean regularly rather than waiting a long time. Just be sure to take your time with it and be thorough so that nothing gets overlooked, which can make your next cleaning even more difficult.
A Little Cleaning Can Go a Long Way
Cleaning a week’s worth of dust and pollen off your vehicle will almost always be easier than a month’s worth. By staying on top of things, you can keep your vehicle in great shape to look good and retain its value for a long time. If worse comes to worst and all else fails or you feel overwhelmed by the mess you’ve found your vehicle in, then there are always professionals ready to help you. Never underestimate what a miracle worker a good shop and its experts can be or how well they can rejuvenate a car that hasn’t received the care it deserves. However, as long as you stay on top of things yourself and use the right products, keeping your vehicle clean all summer long is easier than you might think.