Spring is here, and if your car is wearing a coat of yellow-green dust every morning, you’ve got more than a cosmetic problem on your hands.

Pollen does real damage to vehicles. It scratches paint, clogs filters, cuts fuel efficiency, and makes the air inside your cabin worse to breathe. The good news is that a few simple habits can protect your car and keep your family breathing easy during the heaviest weeks of the season.

Driver education expert Lucas Waldenback said pollen tends to catch drivers off guard in a way that winter hazards don’t. “Pollen season tends to catch drivers off guard because it doesn’t feel as urgent as winter hazards like ice or salt,” Waldenback told Family Handyman. “But over a few weeks, it can affect visibility, air quality and even how easy your car is to maintain.”

He’s right that the damage is easy to underestimate.

Most people see the yellow film and figure a quick dry wipe will take care of it. Don’t do that. Automotive specialist Matt Clamp explained why wiping dry pollen off your car is one of the worst things you can do. “It may seem soft to touch, but under a microscope, pollen actually has a spiky surface, and this can act like fine sandpaper,” Clamp said. Those spikes drag across your clear coat and leave micro-scratches that accumulate over weeks of spring weather. When pollen particles get wet, the situation gets worse: they turn acidic, and that acid corrodes the clear coat and dulls the finish on your paint.

Your engine and cabin are also at risk. Pollen clogs both the cabin air filter and the engine air filter, and the consequences go beyond sneezing. Automotive expert Steve Haney said a blocked engine air filter forces your engine to work harder to pull in air. “Over time, that can reduce fuel efficiency and lead to engine damage,” Haney said. If you’ve noticed your car feeling sluggish or your gas mileage dropping during pollen season, a clogged engine air filter may be the reason. You can check air filter replacement schedules by vehicle type at the Car Care Council to see whether yours is overdue.

So what do you actually do about it? Here’s what the experts recommend.

Start by replacing both your engine and cabin air filters at the beginning of pollen season, then check them every few weeks. Car protection specialist Ken Huening recommends washing pollen off your car two or three times a week during peak season. “This is a good time to sign up for the unlimited wash level at your local car wash,” he said. That kind of membership pays for itself fast when you’re running your car through two or three times a week from April into June.

When you wash at home, use a pH-balanced shampoo and a soft sponge. Never a dry cloth. Rinse the car thoroughly before you touch it with anything.

Clamp recommends applying a ceramic coating or wax to your paint before pollen season hits. “This can make it harder for the pollen to stick, and will make it easier to wash off next time,” he said. Wax is the budget-friendly option and takes about an hour on a Saturday morning. Ceramic coatings last longer but cost more upfront.

Wiper blades need attention too. Wipe them down with a wet cloth to clear pollen buildup, and switch to a water-repellent windshield washer fluid, such as one that contains Rain-X, for better visibility during high-pollen days. The Environmental Protection Agency’s outdoor air quality index can help you track which days are worst in your area so you know when to take extra precautions.

Parking matters more than most drivers realize. A garage is ideal. If you don’t have one, a car cover or a covered parking spot makes a genuine difference. Haney pointed out that tree choice matters if you’re parking on a street or in a driveway. “At very least, try to avoid parking right under trees that make the most pollen, like oak, birch, cedar and ash,” he said.

Waldenback summed up the whole strategy in one line. “Prevention is mostly about consistency,” he said. “A common mistake is waiting until the car looks visibly dirty. By that point, pollen has often already mixed with moisture and formed a more stubborn bond with the surface.” You can check local pollen counts through the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology to time your washes on the days right after heavy pollen falls, rather than waiting until the buildup becomes obvious. A little attention twice a week through May keeps your paint intact, your engine breathing clean, and your morning commute a whole lot more comfortable for everyone in the car.