How to Protect Your Car From Road Salt Damage

Learn about the different things you can do to prevent road salt from damaging your car.

As winter settles in, the roads become treacherous and are often treated with salt to melt away ice and snow. While it helps ensure safer driving conditions, road salt can have detrimental effects on your vehicle.

Road salts, which are typically made of sodium chloride, calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride, are highly corrosive and can accelerate the rusting process on your car’s metal components, such as the undercarriage, frame, suspension, and exposed body panels.

This corrosion not only affects the appearance of your vehicle but can also compromise its structural integrity over time. That’s why it’s crucial that you take action to keep this from happening. Follow these tips from Blain’s Farm & Fleet to help protect your vehicle from road salt damage.

Wash your car regularly throughout the winter

It’s important to wash your car frequently throughout the winter season. This way, you’re not letting the road salt sit on your vehicle for long periods. We recommend washing your car at least once every two weeks in winter.

To get your car thoroughly cleaned, start by rinsing it with water. Then, use a high-quality car wash detergent to remove the road salt. Thoroughly rinse off the soap, and dry the car with a microfiber towel. Make sure you get your car as dry as you can to keep it from freezing.

When washing your car, pay extra attention to the undercarriage. If you go to a car wash rather than washing your vehicle at home, make sure you’re selecting an option that includes an undercarriage wash. The car’s undercarriage collects a lot of dirt and road salt, and it’s very susceptible to rust.

For an extra layer of rust protection, apply a rust inhibitor to any metal surfaces on your car.

Wax your car

Waxing your car is a great way to provide it with extra protection from harsh winter weather. The wax will act as a protective barrier over your vehicle, which will make it harder for road salt to damage the car’s surfaces. As a bonus, it’ll make your car look shiny and new.

We recommend starting the winter season with a good car wash and wax. A wax can protect your car for up to eight weeks, so make sure you’re re-waxing as needed.

Apply the car wax in circular motions, using a microfiber towel to avoid scratching your car. Then, rinse and dry it off.

Keep your floor mats clean

The exterior of your car isn’t the only thing road salt can ruin. If you’re not careful, it can damage your car’s interior, too. In the winter, your shoes will track the salt into your vehicle. This salt will soak right into your floor mats, which can stain and ruin them.

Make sure you’re cleaning your car mats regularly throughout the winter to keep the salt off. To remove salt stains, gently scrub the area with equal parts warm water and white vinegar.

Even better, we suggest investing in all-season floor mats, if you don’t already have them. They will help protect your car’s interior from salt, water, mud, and other debris. They are also much easier to clean than regular floor mats, as you can simply spray them off with a hose.

Don’t drive in bad weather

Another way to keep as much road salt off your vehicle as possible is to avoid driving in bad weather as much as you can. Cities will often put road salt on the roads before, during, and after a snowstorm. So it’s best not to drive during those times unless you absolutely have to.

In the wintertime, we also recommend avoiding puddles as much as possible. Puddles are usually filled with dirt and road salt, and you don’t want this splashing onto your vehicle.

And if you can, it’s best to park your vehicle inside during the wintertime. This is a great way to protect it from the elements and road salt.

For more how-tos like this one, check out our Automotive Cleaning Blog.