Why is my car covered in red dust??

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48037362

The above link points to a story explaining why our cars occasionally have a layer of red dust on them. I’ve heard various reasons including jet fuel being “dropped” by aircraft to lighten their loads prior to landing. To me, this did seem like a perfectly plausible explanation as I am indeed just below the flight path of those planes landing at Heathrow.

And yet the real reason points to something far simpler but somewhat more exotic at the same time. Sand and dust from the Sahara has been lifted high into the air through strong winds and carried the roughly 2500 miles to our sunny shores. All it takes is a rain storm to collect the dust from the skies as it falls to the ground and voila, our cars get covered in red dust. Cool, no?

Unfortunately what isn’t cool is that the Saharan red dust can be harmful to those people already suffering from respiratory issues. It’s almost as if nature is trying to add to their woes beyond the inhaling of dirty nitrous oxides thanks to the plethora of diesel vehicles still on our roads! I digress…

I’d love to provide a solution for you to ensure you car evades any dust landing on it and remains clean but, well, that’s just not going to happen. However, a hose and a bucket of soapy water with sponge will certainly go a long way to making your car clean and shiny afterwards!!