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Can falling leaves damage my car?

Those beautiful autumn leaves can cause problems for your car. In fact, it’s best to avoid parking under trees—especially if you’re not driving much. Leaves nd their way into a car’s nooks and crannies, getting caught under wipers, and clogging air intakes and drain holes, such as those around the sunroof. Plus, wet leaves contain tree sap, which is acidic and can damage the nish on a car’s paint, reports John Ibbotson, chief mechanic at the CR Auto Test Center.

If you need to clear leaves from your car, do it carefully, picking them o with your hands or by using a leaf blower with light air pressure. (Too much pressure can cause leaves to become lodged in hard-toreach places.) To unclog sunroof drains, you may be tempted to remove debris with a wire hanger, but that can tear the sunroof lining. Instead, use a vacuum to draw out the leaves. Pop the hood to clear leaves near the base of the windshield, where the car’s heater intake system is. Then give your car a good rinse. For tree sap, dab spots with rubbing alcohol on a cloth or try a tree sap remover, such as Turtle Wax’s Bug & Tar Remover, $7 (not tested by CR). “To be safe, test any storebought cleaner on a small spot of paint rst,” Ibbotson says. Waxing your car once a season also helps protect the paint.

If you can’t avoid parking under trees, consider investing in a car cover. Better ones tend to cost at least $100 and are made of multilayered material. (Cheaper, single-layer covers risk trapping moisture and scratching your car.) And don’t forget that wet leaves can be just as slippery as ice, so increase your following distance on leaf-strewn roads.

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… and watch for the answers. My credit card limit was just lowered. What gives?

About 70 million cardholders saw their credit card limits reduced or had their cards canceled earlier this year, according to a survey from CompareCards, a division of LendingTree. Most of these people had their credit limits cut by $1,000 or less, but 22 percent had their limit lowered by $5,000 or more. And 1 in 4 cardholders say they had at least one credit card closed by their card issuer.

Lenders are probably taking these steps as a protection from an expected tidal wave of consumer defaults triggered by worsening nancial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic. So even if you’ve had a card for years and used it responsibly, an issuer may still decide to reduce your credit. But there are a few ways to protect your credit limits, says Penelope Wang, a CR money editor. Start by reviewing your credit report periodically for errors that may lower your credit score. The pandemic has focused more concern on credit reports, so the three major credit reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—are o ering free weekly reports through April 2021. (Normally you can get a free report only once a year from each.) Go to AnnualCreditReport.com.

Also, if you use your card frequently, consider making an extra payment during the month to reduce your balance before the statement comes out, which may boost your credit score. For more tips go to CR.org/credit1120.

Can my steam mop kill the coronavirus?

On some steam mop packaging, you may see claims such as “Eliminates 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria.” And it’s true that heat and steam can kill pathogens, including the coronavirus, says Paula Cannon, PhD, professor of microbiology at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. Most pathogens die at 212° F—a temperature that CR testers have found steam mops can meet. But to be e ective at killing a virus on most oors, you’d need to hold the mop in place on a surface for a few minutes at a time. And that’s the catch: Steaming spots on your oor for that long can damage tile grout and crack wood oors. For more info on steam mops we’ve tested, turn to “The Best Way to Clean That Floor,” on page 34.

If you’re concerned about COVID-19, it’s better to wipe your oors with an EPA-registered household disinfectant. Check our list at CR.org/clean1120 (and follow your ooring manufacturer’s care instructions).