Failure to remove the deposits properly can risk causing unsightly scratches and even permanently damage paintwork.
The dust plume is a recurring phenomenon in northern Europe but the deposits have also reached Sweden, Finland, the Baltic and north-west Russia.
This year’s phenomenon has been called “exceptionally intense” by the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The current dust cloud is the third of its kind from the Sahara to reach Europe in recent weeks.
The dust is anything but harmless. The gritty particles can scratch paintwork and Germany’s large ADAC car club warns that the dust layer could be baked on by the sun’s heat if owners do not wash it off quickly.
Use plenty of water, since simply wiping off the dust it with a dry cloth or using the use the windscreen wipers to clear the screen is not enough. This is because the fine sand particles can then act like sandpaper and leave nasty scratches.
It helps to pre-clean the car, so first wash it off with lots water or spray it down with a hosepipe. A proper car wash site is the best place to do this, preferably one with booths and not a pull-through car wash where the rotating brushes can rub the dust into the bodywork before removal.
This should banish the worst of the dust, but follow up with a damp cloth wipe in hard-to-get areas such as front grilles and reccesed door handles.
