How to Remove Dried Pollen from Car Paint When Washing Cars

Spring is in the air. The weather is getting warmer, flowers are starting to bloom, trees are getting leaves, and there is plenty of pollen being spread around. For your car wash customers, spring and the start of pollen season means that their vehicles will be looking yellowish-green.

Leaving pollen on cars not only distracts from the overall appearance of the vehicle but also can damage the paint if not removed correctly. As a car wash owner, you should educate your customers about the potential for pollen damage. You will want to encourage them to bring their vehicles in more often for car washes to get pollen off their cars.

Why Pollen Is Bad for a Car’s Paint

Pollen might appear to be a non-harmful powder-like substance that sticks to your car, much like dust. Yet, the sun can bake the pollen onto the vehicle, making it even hard to get pollen off your car.

This baked-on pollen can slowly start to degrade the clear coat found on modern vehicles. If it is not removed, eventually it will get down to the paint layer. The pollen will continue to degrade the paint until the metal is exposed. Once the metal is exposed, the vehicle will start to rust, unless the vehicle is repainted and resealed, which can be rather costly.

While rain will help remove some of the pollen off vehicles, it will not fully clean pollen that has been baked on by the sun. Nor does rain get in all the cracks and crevices where pollen can settle.

While your customers might be tempted to just grab a soft cloth and wipe the pollen off, you should advise them to not do this. While pollen is a fine powdery substance, it can still leave scratches in the clear coat and paint. If your customers are in a hurry, a quick wash is better than wiping off dry pollen.

How to Remove Pollen When Washing Cars

To fully remove pollen from your customers’ vehicles when washing their cars, it is important to follow the right wash steps. Whether you hand wash vehicles or have an automated washing system, you will want to make sure that you are detailing the cars correctly to fully eliminate pollen.

Step 1: Pre-wash the vehicle.

You want to start the wash cycle by wetting down the vehicle with water to remove any loose pollen. Taking the time to pre-wash the vehicle helps remove most of the pollen, so your job will be easier when it comes to washing off the baked-on pollen.

Step 2: Wash the vehicle.

After the pre-wash, you are ready to wash the vehicle. If you are washing it by hand, use clean microfiber cloth towels or soft padded microfiber sponges to wash the vehicle. You should also use the “two buckets” method, where you rinse the towel or sponge in one bucket before dunking it back into the one with the soapy wash water.

Step 3: Rinse the vehicle.

Fully rinse all the soap off the vehicle. If you notice spots that you missed, you will want to do a little quick detailing and rewash and rinse the areas you missed by hand.

Step 4: Dry the vehicle.

Using clean microfiber towels, dry the excess water off the vehicle. Dry one panel at a time and switch out towels when they start to get overly damp.

Step 5: Wax the vehicle.

If the vehicle needs to be waxed, apply a layer of wax. You can use spray wax, hot wax, or paste wax. Just make sure to wax the entire vehicle and every body panel. Wax should be reapplied after every wash to help keep a sufficient layer of protection.

Step 6: Apply a sealant over the wax.

You can use a detailer spray sealant to further protect the vehicle and prevent pollen buildup that is difficult to remove. Both wax and spray sealants make it much easier to remove pollen when you wash your customers’ vehicles.

How Often Should Vehicles Be Washed in the Spring?

You will want to encourage your car wash customers to keep their vehicles clean and pollen-free all spring long. The frequency of washing will depend on where your car wash is located. For city dwellers, pollen may not be as much as an issue, so weekly or bi-weekly washes may be sufficient.

On the other hand, if your car wash is in a smaller city or rural area, then pollen buildup can be a daily occurrence. In this case, you would want to encourage your customers to get their cars washed two, three, or more times a week to keep the pollen off and their vehicles looking great.

You could also add car covers to your seasonal items that you sell at your car wash or out of your cash wash vending machines. Car covers are great for protecting cars from excessive pollen buildup.

Another great idea to encourage your customers to get their cars washed more often during the spring pollen season is to offer different types of wash packages. For example, when they buy two washes they get the third one free.

By following our wash steps, you are sure to keep your customers’ vehicles looking great and pollen-free. To find car wash supplies, accessories, wash parts, air fresheners, vending products, and more at wholesale prices, please feel free to browse our online inventories or contact Superior Car Wash Supply at 800-554-9274 today!