Car Isn't Dirty---But It's Covered in Yellow Pollen Dust! Help!

G

globe9

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I washed the black Rogue last Saturday and since it hasn't rained since, it actually still looks great. Was expecting a weekend off from washing it. The GF and I left this house this morning around 10am to run errands and we just got home. When we pulled into the driveway, I noticed that my previously clean car is covered in yellow pollen dust. Now I'm freaking out LOL I have plans tonight and for tomorrow, so won't be able to spend 2-3 hours washing it. The GF told me to just hose it off, but that's not really an option as then it'd be covered in water spots since while it looked clean to me, I don't trust trying to dry it off without washing it(don't want to mar).



Is there anything quick I can do? My GF thinks I'm crazy b/c she said I'll clean it this evening and it'll have yellow dust on it again tomorrow. I don't have a garage, so it has to be outside unfortunately.



What would ya'll do? Especially considering she's right and it probably will have dust on it again tomorrow, and Monday, and Tuesday......you get the picture...it's just that time of year. Will it really mess up the paint? I have AG HD on there now...applied about 3 weeks ago.
 
If the wax is still on the car, you may be able to blow the pollen off with compressed air. Otherwise, I would just hose it off and dry it with a microfiber drying towel.
 
You don't think that might mar the finish? The car looked good, but that's not to say there wasn't some small dirt/dust particles on it. I'm kinda nervous about just hosing it off and drying, but maybe I'm just being too OCD?



I do have some Meg's Ultimate Detailer. Should I use that? I just don't want to add any minor swirls, scratches, etc. BUT I also don't want to have to wash the car everyday either LOL



I really need apply that FK1000p and see if the pollen dust will just fly off if I take the Rogue for a spin :)
 
Sounds like you need to invest in some ONR :)



hose it off to get the big stuff off, then use onr to do a quick waterless wash.
 
The California Car Duster (also available at many brick-and-mortars) is the quickest, most effective weapon against pollen I've encountered. It has very soft cleaning threads coated in a type of liquid wax that just lifts dirt and dust right off the car. It demolishes pollen.
 
:cheer2: Congratulations !

I think you are the winner for the first pollen post of the year.

Many,many more will be coming soon.
 
LOL....I'm in New Orleans...it was 80 degrees outside today. We get Spring very early down here in the deep South.



I went and bought a California Car Duster today from Advance Auto today and also ran it through a touchless wash to get the heavy pollen off. Just didn't have time for a complete hand wash today at all, but needed to get the pollen off. Will do a complete hand wash next weekend(weather permitting) and I'm going to use some FK 1000P on it. Hopefully that will help keep the car slick and the pollen will just "fly" off when I'm driving...is that just wishful thinking? What's my best bet? I can't garage it. Will try the Car Duster after it finishes its 48 hours on the newspaper :)



Thanks and sorry about the pollen post, but it just happened yesterday. No pollen before that.
 
The CCD won't work if you have wet the car already, even after it dries. You can only really use it on loose pollen that hasn't gotten wet at any point.



Be careful with the CCD. It seems to cause light scratches/marring on my black XJ, even if I use the lightest pressure!
 
I consider pollen to be just another type of dirt. I might blow it off with the compressor as per John Kleven's suggestion, but other than that I stick to my "no touching between regular washes". Whether the pollen is bad enough for one of those regular washes is another matter...
 
Does anyone know where to get a cheap air compressor? Is there one that can be run off a cigarette lighter/outlet in the car?
 
I dunno if a 12v unit is gonna have the oomph for blowing pollen/dust off a vehicle :think: My little one (for emergency tire inflation) sure won't handle it.
 
You might be better off with an electric leaf blower rather than an air compressor (especially a cheap one). I have decent compressor and while I use it for a lot of things (air tools, as compressed air, filling tires, etc.), I prefer to mostly use my Craftsman shop vac/blower combo for drying and coaxing loose dust/dirt from my vehicles. I usually stick with a "no touch" policy as well between washings but will occasionally use the blower just to get the loose stuff off. The only things I will touch are the windows and perhaps the wheels with something like an ONR wash.
 
I'd just leave it alone..your GF is right, you will have to wash it everyday to keep it perfect when there is pollen in the air.. I don't think the pollen dust will hurt the paint.. It's another thing with road salt/sand, that I sometimes just hose of(esp the under the car and wheel wells) between washes so it won't sit and corrode for too long...The water here don't leave any difficult spots(the next normal wash will take care of them)...
 
I have used a Swifer on my car to remove pollen. It does a great job. I use up to 3 replacement clothes per car. I think it is more effective than a California Duster as the pollen can really foul up it up. Then no soon then you wash it, it loses its ability to pick up dust. The only drawback to a swifer is the head size is rather small.
 
Mark77 said:
I'd just leave it alone..your GF is right, you will have to wash it everyday to keep it perfect when there is pollen in the air.. I don't think the pollen dust will hurt the paint.. It's another thing with road salt/sand, that I sometimes just hose of(esp the under the car and wheel wells) between washes so it won't sit and corrode for too long...The water here don't leave any difficult spots(the next normal wash will take care of them)...
Click to expand...

It's not about what will hurt the paint - it's about how pretty the car is! :laugh:



Corgidog59 said:
I have used a Swifer on my car to remove pollen. It does a great job. I use up to 3 replacement clothes per car. I think it is more effective than a California Duster as the pollen can really foul up it up. Then no soon then you wash it, it loses its ability to pick up dust. The only drawback to a swifer is the head size is rather small.
Click to expand...

You're never supposed to wash a Cali Duster. As the label says, "The dirtier it gets, the better it works!"
 
Air compressor will only remove the top layers of pollen.The initial layer will stay on the paint. Google search for a picture of pollen under a microscope, and you'll see why :)
 
Full wash again. Pull inside. Apply a good coat of wax to the entire car (yes, windows too. Use something trim-safe).



Wait 48 hours for pollen to settle on car again. The next part only works if you can quickly get on the interstate or up to a sustained 55mph+ speed. Hose car down, drive to work. Waxing your windows will help prevent water spots and allow the water to blow off. It won't be just washed clean, but it will pass the 5' test until the next weekend when you do a full wash.



Some of the other things suggested in this thread would marr my soft black paint instantly. If I'm touching my paint, you want suds or at least ONR on there.
 
How about those automated pay/sprays? I visit them in the winter when we get a nice day for the under carriage spray. The one by my place has an arm that goes around and basically pressure washes your car. Doesn't dry it, but it at least would get the pollen off without harming anything. I'm going to give it a go after work today.



I think my sinuses are already infected. Getting in a car that is basically a fuzz ball is like somebody kicking sand in your eyes while you are down. At $7 a pop (undercarriage included), can't go wrong.
 
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