Thankfully! Pollen does not get inside of your car the way it covers the outside, but it can still cause issues, especially if you or anyone riding with you suffer from spring-time allergies. These simple steps will help you keep the inside of your car as pollen free as the outside.
1. KEEP THE WINDOWS UP! When the tree pollens are flying around, never leave your car windows down when the vehicle is parked. Even riding along with the windows down will allow pollen to enter and swirl around inside of your vehicle cabin where it will eventually come to rest on everything inside.
EXTRA TIP: Just as you shouldn't do to the outside of your vehicle, never wipe pollen off dry. It can scuff up that nice leather dash and chromed plastic trim. Use a microfiber cloth dampened with your favorite interior protectant to wipe down the inside of your vehicle.
2. RECIRCULATION. With the widows up, make sure your fan or a/c are running on recirculation. This setting cycles the air inside of your vehicles cabin over and over instead of bringing in contaminated air from the outside.
3. CHANGE THE CABIN FILTER. Not all, but most vehicles today are equipped with a "cabin filter." Your vehicle (if equipped) has manufacturer recommendations for a replacement schedule.
The cabin filter is designed to control the airborne contaminants that get drawn into your vehicles interior when the fan is running. Consult your vehicles owner manual or seek out the advice of the Google gods to determine;
a.) if your vehicle is equipped with a cabin filter,
b.) where the cabin filter is located, and
c.) how to change the filter.
4. VACUUMING out your vehicles interior on a regular basis is key to keeping your interior pollen free.
Don't just vacuum the carpet and seats and call it done. Make sure you get down into all of those nooks and crannies, high and low, around the leg/feet areas, around and under the seats, the door panels, and the rear window dash.
Keeping your vehicle pollen free should be considered part of your routine cleaning and maintenance and will help assure that interior airborne contaminants are minimized.
