With apologies to Carol King, “winter, spring, summer, fall” does not apply here in metro Atlanta. Our seasons are actually winter, pollen, summer and fall.
Yes, as you might have noticed, pollen season is upon us, coating our fair city with an often thick layer of yellow dust that aggravates allergies, bothers pets and of course, coats our cars.
“I always remind folks that the reason we have such high pollen counts is that Atlanta is the only major metropolitan city built in a forest (Chattahoochee),” WSB-TV Meteorologist David Chandley said. “So with all these trees, expect high counts.”
In the grand scheme of things, pollen coated cars are not a life-changing issue, yet it seems to annoy people to no end every year.
So how do long-time Atlanta residents cope with the “hella-yella’ on their vehicles?
“I just rinse it down with the hose every morning before I leave my driveway,” Atlantan Ellen Britt said. “Only takes about two minutes and I’m on my way!”
Barbra Wrazin takes a less aggressive approach.
“I just drive and let the wind blow it off or wait for the rain,” Wrazin said.
David Cohen has found a way to make money from his pollen riddled car.
“My car is so yellow,” Cohen said. “I just wrote TAXI in the pollen and got hailed immediately.”
One thing the pollen doesn’t impact obviously is our sense of humor.
Chandley says the pollen season begins in late February and lingers into May. Peak season is usually mid March to mid April.
You want to keep your car pollen free? I’ve found one sure fire solution. Buy a car cover. Cover your car. Take MARTA to work.
In all seriousness, unless you can constantly garage your vehicle, there’s not much you can do to prevent pollen from coating your baby.
But there are some ways to get it off. The most popular solution that I found is something called a California Car Duster.
According to the website calcarduster.com, the car duster “Utilizes the proven technology of baking a special paraffin wax into 100% cotton strands to assure that dust is lifted and removed, not just pushed around. The Original California Car Duster® gives cars the appearance of looking just washed.”
Most online user reviews are positive, suggesting an easier, less expensive cleaning than tri-daily car washes that you might need to keep your car pollen-free.
What does the weatherman who reports on the pollen counts daily suggest?
“Just wash it away and remember to wash off the pets feet too,” Chandley said.
