Allergy Season! Spring Clean To Breathe Easier In Your Vehicle
The Valley’s pollen forecast is high with the desert in bloom, so it’s a good idea to do spring cleaning with our cars due to pollen and dust. Researchers with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, share nasal allergies affect about 50 million people in the United States.
Quick Tips:
- Wipe down the exterior as pollen stuck to it can be transferred inside your vehicle through the air filters.
- Dust off the dashboard.
- Clean and de-clutter by getting rid of any trash in the vehicle.
- Vacuum the seats and floor mats to protect from dust mites.
- Avoid furry, carpeted, or wooly seat covers that attract more dirt, dust mites, and mold spores.
- Pets in the car? Dust mite spray lightly on upholstered seats and carpets.
- Keep windows closed and use the air conditioning on the recirculating cycle.
Areas to have inspected:
Cabin air filter which cleans the air that comes into the interior through the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Replace every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, yearly or more if you live in an urban area with a lot of air pollution. Many cabin air filters are located behind the glove box, under the dashboard and can be a challenge to reach.
A dirty or clogged cabin air filter can:
- Increase headaches or allergies.
- Smell musty inside the vehicle and create unhealthy air for passengers causing them to breathe in more fumes and particles inside the car than when walking down the street.
- Reduce the efficiency of your air conditioner and damage HVAC system over time.
- Air-conditioning evaporator drain hole can get clogged if filled with debris which allows condensation to accumulate inside the evaporator case, creating a huge nightmare for fungus and bacteria growth. Let’s create a mold growth zone!
- Air intake near the cowl is the screened area usually right under the windshield wipers and door frame weather stripping, where dead leaves, trapped dirt and other debris, accumulate and hold moisture then cultivating mold and mildew growth.
- Weather stripping at windows and doors. Replace them when worn to keep the weather out of your car.




