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Q. Pete M. submitted this story and question: “A funny thing happened to a guy at the plant this week. He’s as crazy about cleaning his car as anyone I’ve ever met. He just got a new Nissan SUV, and he washed it twice the first day he got it home. It was 2 degrees that night and the next day he broke the handle trying to pull it open because it was frozen. How do you a keep a nice car clean in a Norfolk winter?”

A. Here are some things you can try. First, I don’t suggest hand-washing in winter and forget about the self-serve bay at the local car wash. When you get there the bubble brush might be iced shut.

I suggest using the drive-through and then follow­ing these steps:

— Take off any antenna you can remove. Watch­ing as your Sirius XM radio is pulled off the dash and then out the passenger window seal is not fun.

— Save the money and get the economy wash. The car is not going to be clean for long anyway. Better to do two $10 washes than one $20. — As you exit the wash, squirt the window wash­er. That will blow out any water that got down into the nozzles and keep them from freezing later.

— Have an old towel in the car. When you come out of the wash, pull over someplace ice-free and safe. Put the car-key in your pocket. Open up the doors and trunk and wipe the rubber gaskets on all the door jams and trunk as best you can. Note that while you do this, water will run out onto the ground from small holes at the bottom of each door. That is the water that can really cause trou­ble. Set it free. Then close each door firmly, which pushes out more water from all the seals. Wipe everything again.

— Once you finish you might want to wipe off any water on the car with that towel. If your towel touches the ground do NOT wipe any painted sur­face with it until you have shaken it out well. One small piece of sand can ruin your finish and your day.

— Take the key out of your pocket and lock and unlock the door locks with it a couple of times. — Buy a small “Lock-De-Icer” spray can at a phar­macy or hardware store and keep it in the house. I don’t suggest using it preventatively because it contains solvents that might remove lubricants you need in the lock. This stuff is not a guaran­tee if you’re frozen out, but for the price it is well worth having. This program is not foolproof. I would suggest that if you have to park outside you never wash a car the night before the big interview, or if you have a baby on the way. Check the weather, and if it is going to be above 30 the next day you should be safe. Below that, you risk being frozen out.