A detailed study of adsorption of automobile exhaust hydrocarbons in Ag+-exchanged zeolites under cold-start conditions (room temperature and in the presence of water) was carried out with FT-IR spectroscopy, using toluene and propylene as probes. The results show that exchanged Ag+ in zeolites is unique for trapping olefin and aromatic hydrocarbons due to its resistance to water adsorption. In contrast, exchanged Cu2+1 in zeolites, which has good hydrocarbon trapping properties under dry conditions, does not trap hydrocarbons under wet conditions. Here, solvation of Cu2+ screens the interactions of the cation with adsorbed hydrocarbons. The results also show that, in addition to the nature of the cation, the structure of the zeolite also plays a role in hydrocarbon trapping. Aging at high temperatures. with water vapor (similar to 10%) and SO2 (similar to 15 ppm), leads to a decrease of the trapping centers in the zeolites due to framework dealumination.