Washing vehicles vital in winter storm aftermath

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Though most of the wintry precipitation has melted off roads in Region 8, it’s more important than ever to take care of your vehicle.

The salt and brine from road treatment are left behind when the ice and snowmelt. The salt can get thrown up into your vehicle’s undercarriage when you drive on those roads. If left there, it can cause damage to your vehicle.

“Salt can rust your vehicle, it can deteriorate your paint, it can deteriorate the metal in your vehicle. So that is the reason why we do have a lot of vehicles coming through right now,” Clayton Treat, manager of Tommy’s Express Carwash in Jonesboro, said. “So, a lot of people, when they come through, they pay attention to the outside of their vehicle, but they don’t know that the underbody of their vehicle is just as important.”

However, even if you wash your car in the next few days, you still need to keep an eye on your vehicle. Since there won’t be any rain to wash the salt and brine away for several days, you may need to wash it multiple times to ensure no rusting or deterioration occurs.

“It’s important to just get that salt off because it’s going to stay on the road for a while. It looks like we don’t have any rain in the forecast for the next week,” Treat said. “It’s going to be pretty sunny and it’s going to get above freezing as well so any of the excess salt in the roads is not going to be able to get washed off by anything.”

If you opt for washing your car at home, make sure to use a high-quality carwash solution and avoid using dish detergent as it can remove wax from your vehicle. If you experience any vehicular issues in the aftermath of a winter storm, you may need to see a mechanic.

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