How To Keep Your Vehicle Clean While Traveling Away From Home

You’ve spent time cleaning your car, inside and out, and it looks great pulling out of the driveway, but what will it look like a few days into your summer road trip?

From bugs splattering on the windshield to dirt and grime getting kicked up onto the doors and rear, your once-pristine car may start looking grimy and dull. Protecting your paint job and keeping the outside of your vehicle sparkling clean requires being proactive while on the road.

How do you keep your vehicle looking its best while on the road this summer?

“Bug goo, sap, road tar–the sooner you address those problems the better,” said Jim Dvorak of Mothers automotive cleaners and polishes. “They can bake on your vehicle as you’re driving along hot summer roads and etch the paint, causing permanent damage.”

Among the items he includes are microfiber towels, waterless car wash/wax, upholstery cleaner for spills, bug and tar remover made specifically for automobile paint and vehicle glass cleaner.

“A clean windshield is essential for safe driving. Early morning and late afternoon create glare on dusty glass surfaces.”

Use these tips to maintain a showroom-fresh finish no matter how many miles you log.

Pack a car care kit

To keep up with life on the road and the messes that come with it, make sure to pack a car care kit that can easily be stored in your trunk or cargo area.

Another car care expert, Mike Pennington of Meguiar’s, likes to pack the following items whenever he goes on road trips:

• Waterless wash and wax solution. These kinds of products work well for quick touch-ups, removing bugs, bird droppings and fresh water spots before they have a chance to bond to your car’s exterior and cause damage.
• Glass cleaner or glass cleaner wipes designed for automobile surfaces.
• Interior detailer wipes are great for impromptu clean-up on upholstery. Food and liquids can be safely removed to prevent odors, surface stains, and mold.
• Microfiber towels are great for both exterior and interior clean-ups or wipe-downs. They are absorbent and easy to clean.
• Handheld vacuum you can easily store in your car for those unexpected spills.
• Clay bars to help remove hardened grit and grime. They are easy to stow and safely remove contaminants stuck to glass, wheels, and painted surfaces.

Some cleaning waxes add shine but don’t remove contaminants bonded to the car. Clay bars can remove smudgy swirls, grit, brake dust, and other contaminants, plus he says they can be used on just about any exterior surface.

Keep up with bug removal

While touchless car washes are great for deeper cleanings, be sure to spot-clean the front end of your car each time you stop for gas to maintain good visibility through the windshield and headlight lenses.

“Bug goo is especially harmful,” says Pennington. He suggests a bottle of bug remover spray and microfiber cloths to quickly dissolve and wipe away splattered bugs before they harden and bake onto the glass and paint.

Mind the sprinklers

When stopping at hotels or campgrounds, be mindful of sprinklers that could unexpectedly spray your car. Getting doused with sprinkler spray can leave behind unsightly water spots and stains that are tough to remove if they bake in the hot sun. Try to park away from sprinkler systems or get in the habit of drying your car off with microfiber towels after such a surprise shower.

Head to the car wash

Even with diligent spot cleaning, you'll want to take your car to a self-serve or drive-through car wash during extended driving trips. This helps blast away road grime, tar, tree sap, dead bugs, and any other crud that builds up on your car’s exterior. Make sure to use the undercarriage wash and wheel cleaner functions too.

Pennington suggests searching on your phone for “car washes near me.” The local self-serve or drive-through car wash will suffice until you can get back home for a more thorough treatment.

“If you don’t get that stuff off your vehicle, it could bond and possibly scratch or etch the surface of your car,” says Pennington.

At the car wash, he says he uses a power washer at self-serve car washes to clean the undercarriage and wheel wells — places where road grime accumulates and causes corrosion.

Rain brings water spots

Don't rely on rainstorms to "wash" your car for you — those downpours can create more work in the long run.

As soon as you can, give the exterior a quick towel drying. Eliminating standing water droplets prevents water spot stains and streaks from forming as the moisture evaporates in the heat.

Protect against the heat

Summer's intense heat and sunlight can rapidly bake any bugs, debris or contaminants that land on your vehicle, making them extremely difficult to remove. This is especially true during road trips when objects constantly accumulate on your car's surface.

Pennington advises frequent cleanings before these irritants have a chance to chemically bond or etch into the paint and glass. Exterior heat and the sun’s ultraviolet rays can also damage a vehicle’s interior upholstery. He suggests applying protectants for vinyl and leather before leaving home to slow the effects of Mother Nature.

Pennington also warns you to be mindful of all the other external substances from your fun in the sun that might damage your car’s interior, including sand, dirt, sunscreen, pollen, sticky substances and dirty boots. Clean up as soon as you can to remove allergens and odors that could linger in your car.

Other tips for the car care warrior:

• Getting your vehicle professionally detailed before and after long trips is ideal. But by proactively cleaning and drying at stops along the way, you can maintain a beautiful just-washed look throughout your entire summer road trip.
• Immediately clean up soiled interior surfaces and spills with microfiber towels. Soft drink and coffee spills can leave lasting stains and create a sticky mess.
• Routinely wipe off headlights and backup cameras to improve nighttime visibility and prevent blurry images on your vehicle’s dashboard monitor.
• Rinse rubber floor mats occasionally to cut down on allergens and odors inside the car.
• Clean wheels with a microfiber towel to prevent stains and pitting. Do not use the same towel on other surfaces–such as upholstery, glass or paint–since wheel dust is corrosive and can cause permanent damage.
• Consider using a two-in-one wash-and-wax while at the car wash.