Sahara sand: what you should absolutely avoid doing when you go to clean your vehicle

Il convient de faire attention si vous souhaitez que votre voiture brille. MAXPPP – Alexandre MARCHI

Le sable du Sahara s’invite encore une fois sur le sol français en raison de la remontée d’air chaud en provenance de l’Afrique. Si vous voulez nettoyer votre voiture, il convient d'être précautionneux.

The sand from the Sahara has been hitting France again for several days. This is due to warm air coming from northern Africa and exceptionally mild temperatures for early spring. You were therefore able to see your vehicle, parked at the front. exterior, covered with a thin orange film.

Do not brush your vehicle

So you'll probably want to clean it, or take it to the car wash. But be careful, if you do it yourself, you risk damaging it. Thus, François Carrié, mechanic and boss of Autonet 51, in Bétheny gives advice to France 3 : "LThe best thing to do is not to brush the vehicle. At all. You can scratch it: sand is grainy. You need to rinse the vehicle thoroughly. If there is no expected fallout , you can rinse, and give it a quick blast with a high pressure cleaner  : gaps, door seals, grooves… Afterwards, you can start applying foam, and scrub."

You can entrust your car to a professional but "the problem with passing it directly under a roller is that the friction with the sand could damage . So there, it is better to rinse the vehicle before to remove the film of sand", he explains. Apart from rinsing your vehicle, there’is "no more cleaning activities" to be carried out after the deposits of this sand.

The engine may be damaged

Sand can nevertheless be found almost everywhere, especially in the engine. If you don't live by the sea, you have nothing to worry about. Otherwise, "the sand flies and can become encrusted in the air filters, the engine compartment… And even in the passenger compartment when you open the windows", he elaborates.