I have an 04 forester X that I bought in July, now that there has been some snow and ice on the road (the car handles it incredibly) as well as salt to melt it away I have noticed that some this road grime is getting under my hood, white salt splatterings abundant. Is this common? How should I deal with the problem? I there anyone else who has had this problem with their forester?

It doesn't seem like there's too much to worry about. Just go to one of those do-it-yourself car washes and try that green engine cleaner.

I have cleaned all of the engines in my cars for years by spraying on Simple Green or an engine degreaser, letting it sit for 5 minutes or so, and then rinsing the engine with my power washer, holding the wand well back from the engine itself. You sure don't want to force any water into the electrical connections. I do this procedure on a warm engine to help with the drying, and I immediately start the car afterwards, to ensure that it will start, so there are no surprises the next day on the way to work. The only problem I've ever had was with moisture finding its way into the distributor caps of my antique cars. After wiping the insides of the caps dry with a towel, they always fired right up. Just remember to not get the pressure wand too close with too much pressure and you'll be fine.