Yes, you have to do it. So bundle up and keep your car clean all season long.
Here’s How Often You Should Wash Your Car in Winter
Updated on Jan. 07, 2025
It never fails. You wash your car, and it rains the next day. (Cue Alanis Morissette.) In my case, instead of rain, it was usually a foot of snow—followed by weeks or months of crusty, slippery, dirty ice. And don’t forget the thousands of pounds of grimy salt and sand on the roads. Minnesota winters aren’t known for subtlety, and my car took the brunt of it. Still, washing a car in winter isn’t exactly enticing. It’s cold outside, and the car will just get dirty again—probably as soon as you drive out of the car wash.
But winter car care is a must, and that includes regular washes. So how often is enough? Can you wait until the car warms up? Should you? And what happens if you don’t wash your car in winter?
After talking to DJ Neumann, director of operations at metro-Detroit-area car detailer Speed Clean Services, I realized my poor old car was a victim of neglect. But you can learn from my mistakes, and Neumann’s nearly 30-year career as a car-cleaning expert. Here, he walks us through how to wash your car in winter, and how often.
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How often should you wash your car in winter?
It depends on where you live. “In warmer places, people might wash their car once per month, while in states like Minnesota or Michigan, where we’re based, people should wash every week or two,” Neumann says.
Once a week? Do Northerners just like shiny, showroom-clean cars? Nope. It’s because of all the sand, salt and other chemicals used to keep the roads safe during the snowy season.
“The salt and sand don’t just leave the car looking dirty—they can actually cause long-term damage,” Neumann says. Ahead, we’ll dive deeper into why that is, but when it comes right down to it? “It’s just safe to wash your car, particularly the undercarriage, more often when you know that roads are being treated for ice.”
So every week or two is the magic number. I definitely didn’t do that, which might be why I no longer have that car. Or live in Minnesota.
What factors go into that number?
There are plenty of ’em, Neumann explains. Washing your car every week or two isn’t just a random prescription. It has a real impact on your car’s longevity. Here are the reasons you should heed his advice:
Road (rock) salt
When winter weather is in the forecast, cities fire up the salt trucks. Road salt is an inexpensive and effective deicer, but it has some drawbacks. “Salt is particularly harsh on your car,” Neumann says. “It’s highly corrosive, and when you drive after snow has come through, the salt and water splash up onto the undercarriage of your car. This accelerates rust development on your car’s frame, brake lines and generally anything metal.”
What is it about salt that makes rust worse? It’s all due to chemistry. Rust needs both water and oxygen to form, as you know if you’ve ever left a cast iron skillet in the sink. But salt water is more conductive than plain water, so the chemical reaction between the water, air and your car’s metal parts speeds up in the presence of the slushy mix that’s on the road during winter.
Brines and chemical deicers
While rock salt is one of the most commonly applied road deicers, it’s not the only one out there. Municipalities use a variety of other chemicals, as well as brines (salts mixed with water) to keep roads clear.
But you guessed it: “Chemical deicers are also often corrosive,” Neumann says. “In some states, authorities will pretreat roads with a salt brine or some other solution to prevent ice from building on the roads. Some of these chemicals, once they’re on the underside of your car, will actually retain moisture, further heightening the risk of rust.”
Things are looking up, though, as states experiment with different solutions for keeping roads clear while lessening the potential for corrosion and environmental impacts. “In Michigan, for example, they’re using beet juice,” he says, which is safer for both cars and critters.
Sand
Sand is another tool cities and states use to help drivers get where they need to go during winter. Sand doesn’t melt snow or ice, but it does provide traction and is often used when it’s too cold for chemical deicers. Unfortunately, sand can also damage your car, so it’s important to wash it off just as you would salt or other chemicals.
“Sand doesn’t corrode, but it can scratch paint and get embedded into spots where you don’t want grit, like your brakes,” Neumann says. Sand that gets between your brake pads and rotors reduces braking effectiveness, which you definitely don’t want during the icy winter season.
Paint color
The detrimental effects of salt and sand are the most important reasons for washing a car in winter. “But, like with anything, there are a lot of other factors,” Neumann says. “Color is an example of that.”
Wait, how does that work? Are some paint colors more susceptible to damage? No, it has nothing to do with rust. It’s all about looking good.
“Darker paint colors make dirt more obvious,” he explains. “People with a dark car should probably wash it more often to keep it looking clean.” If aesthetics are important to you and your car is dark blue or black, you might lean toward washing your car in winter once a week. Folks with lighter vehicles could push it to two.
How to wash your car in winter
Luckily, washing your car in winter is pretty much the same as washing it throughout the rest of the year, with a few caveats. “You want to pay attention to the temperature and use a soap that can help get the winter gunk off your car,” Neumann says.
Pick a day that’s above freezing if possible. If you happen to live in a climate that goes weeks or months without seeing 32 degrees Fahrenheit, consider taking your car to a pro service or going through an automated car wash early on a sunny day.
Here’s how to wash your car in winter:
- Fill a bucket with lukewarm water and a mild car soap. “There are some car soaps designed to neutralize the impact of salt,” Neumann says.
- Rinse your vehicle with a hose. Make sure to rinse the wheel wells and undercarriage.
- Scrub your car gently using a soft sponge or mitt dunked in the soapy water. “Pay extra attention to the places salt may build up, such as the bottoms of doors [and] around the wheels and bumpers,” Neumann says.
- Rinse off the soap with a hose, making sure to get underneath the vehicle, where soap and salt can hide.
- Dry the car thoroughly with a microfiber towel or chamois.
Neumann says it’s also perfectly fine to take your car for a quick self-wash after you’ve been driving through the salty muck for a week. “In this case, make sure you use the wand with the high-pressure rinse to get the undercarriage and wheel wells of the car,” Neumann says.
You could also opt for an automated car wash—but make sure it has a dryer. “While these aren’t perfect, they’ll typically wash the underside of your car, which is ideal,” he adds.
Is it ever too cold to wash your car in winter?
If you’re outside? Yes. “We don’t recommend washing your car at subfreezing temperatures unless you’re doing it in a heated building,” Neumann says.
It’s not that you’ll necessarily harm your car—you’ll just have trouble getting back inside it when you’re done! “Washing outside while it’s freezing can cause frozen doors and locks,” he explains.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a place with an enclosed or heated garage—including a water source and drain—you can wash with abandon. Otherwise? “If you are washing outside, do it when the temperatures are above freezing.”
Another thing to consider when washing your car in winter is the forecast. It’s best to wait until after a storm, blizzard or ice event so you can wash all the road salt and chemicals off your car. Sure, if you’re one of those people who love washing your car, by all means, wash it before and after a storm. But if you’re like me? Watch that weather and pick a post-storm day.
How can you keep your car clean in winter?
Rule No. 1: Don’t wait until spring to wash your car. Even if braving the harsh winds and wet, slushy mess of winter isn’t your idea of a good time, it’s important to take care of your expensive investment. Here’s what to do.
- Wash it regularly. Again, every week or two is best. It’s fine to run it through an automatic car wash for a quick winter solution, but it’s not as effective as a hand wash or detail, according to Neumann.
- Clean the inside. “Don’t forget about the interior of your car,” he adds. After a trip through the car wash, stop by the vacuum station to hoover up all the dirt and salt that gets inside. (An even better idea is in the next tip.)
- Use all-weather floor mats. “In the winter, you’re dragging all that muck from the road into your car, which is especially problematic if you aren’t using all-weather floor mats,” Neumann says. Tough rubber mats are easier to clean than carpet.
- Get it professionally detailed. Neumann says an interior detail will keep your car clean all winter, but it’s even more important after the winter threats have passed. “A detailer will clean the car top to bottom, getting out any of that grime that you may have missed.”
About the expert
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on washing a car in winter, Ally Childress tapped her experience as a journalist who covers home and cleaning for Reader’s Digest. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- DJ Neumann, director of operations at Speed Clean Services; email interview, Jan. 3, 2025
- Cargill: “Salt vs. Sand for Winter Road Safety”
- Minnesota Stormwater Manual: “Environmental Impacts of Road Salt and Other De-icing Chemicals”
- Sciencing: “The Effects of Saltwater on Metals”
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Winter Is Coming! And With It, Tons of Salt on Our Roads”
