The brine and road salt used to treat the roads for major snow and ice storms is a lifesaver. It keeps the streets and highways largely free of ice, preventing untold accidents.

But that same salt is no good for your car if you don’t get it off quickly.

Across Maryland, drivers are lining up at car washes to remove that dull, chalky film of crusty crud from car finishes and clean those annoying streaks off windshields.

Cindi Lemus joined the long column of cars waiting Thursday afternoon at Water Works, a car wash along Spa Road in Annapolis.

She usually washes her dark gray Subaru at home. She tries to keep the vehicle clean, but the salt that coated her car was more than she wanted to deal with on her own.

“The majority of the snow melted. That’s what I was waiting on,” she said as she waited her turn, inching up in the busy line of people waiting to use the automated washer.

Around 2 p.m. Thursday, dozens of cars were cycling through Water Works’ automatic washer and self-washing barns.

The manager of the car wash, Stanley Boardman, said customers have been coming in nonstop the last two weeks.

Winter, he said, is the busiest time. Drivers come in to get ice and salt off their cars much more than they come in for summer washes, though the spring pollen season also brings in customers.

Even as drivers lined up six or seven cars deep, Boardman said, customers didn’t seem to mind the wait.

“They just want a clean car,” he said.

In Baltimore, at a Carroll Fuel on Falls Road, a short line of salt-sprayed vehicles lined up past the gas pumps Friday afternoon, waiting to go through the automated car wash.

“On a day like this, on just my shift, I would say 60 cars” come through, said Chynna Steffey, an employee. “It’s because of the salt.”

Lines were long across the state. Business was humming at Wheaton Speedy Car Wash in Montgomery County. Manager Josue Ortiz said business had jumped 50%-60% following last month’s storm.

“The road is full of salt,” he said.

Each day has brought long lines that have at times wrapped around the nearby street corner. And he’s expecting a steady stream of salty vehicles for at least the next couple of weeks.

In one of Water Works’ self-serve washing barns, Edim Lemus (no relation to Cindi) scrubbed the floor mats of his Toyota Prius as he wrapped up his wash. Water dripped into growing puddles off the shining black hybrid.

“I always keep it clean,” he said. “I just don’t want to see salt on my car.”

Why you should wash your car after snow

The salt and brine applied to roads make ice melt more easily, but not without a cost. As temperatures rise and melting ice and snow drain into the environment, the salt from the roads can end up in local waterways.

It also, as anyone who’s ever driven after snowfall can attest, gets all over vehicles and can leave that crusty, grimy-looking layer.

That salt eats away at a car’s clear coat, Boardman said, leaving the paint more susceptible to damage.

It clings to the bottom of cars, too, which can become more dangerous.

Road salt on vehicles is corrosive. It can lead to exposed metal rusting more quickly. Liquid salt can “easily seep into vehicle cracks and crevices,” according to AAA Mid States.

Salt can damage brake lines, exhaust systems, fuel tanks and electrical connections, according to AAA.

“Taking the time for a quick car wash now could save both time and money down the road,” said Ragina Ali, a spokesperson for AAA in Maryland and Washington.

She added it’s critical that drivers understand keeping cars clean is about “longevity,” not just “vanity.”

Salt-related repairs to vehicles cost U.S. drivers an estimated $3 billion annually, according to a 2017 report from AAA.

Going to a car wash with high-quality soap, and one that allows you to clean your vehicle’s undercarriage, is the best way to clean salt. It’s safe to clean a car in winter, as long as the temperature is above freezing so that soap doesn’t stick to your vehicle and attract more grime.

Salt is not the only thing to worry about. The frost-and-thaw cycle of snow and ice creates more potholes.

It’s no secret Baltimore has issues with potholes — so driver beware as the weather warms up this weekend.