I washed my truck at 7 a.m. yesterday morning. The temperature was 9 degrees F. I realize that’s not the smartest thing to do, but I can’t stand a dirty vehicle. If I had to wash it by hand in this weather, I might have a different opinion. But thanks to today’s car wash technology, it’s now a simple drive-through and an ear-to-ear smile.
Washing cars wasn’t always so easy. I was just as picky about having a clean vehicle when I was a teenager, and that meant unwinding the garden hose, filling a bucket with hot, soapy water and scrubbing away on that 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo in the driveway of our family home. The vehicle had to sparkle.
I took a car-washing pause during the college years, as my 1980 Ford Mustang sat in the parking lot for weeks on end, fully exposed to the elements. Since I didn’t have to look at it every day, I didn’t dwell on its level of cleanliness.
When I was traveling in my early jobs, the obsession returned. The last task most days was to wash my vehicle. I even kept a small scrub brush, a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels in a bucket in the trunk to remove the stubborn remains of the insect world from my windshield. When my job required less travel, the car wash routine turned to a weekly habit, and that continued for years.
Finances got tough during the initial wave of shutdowns from COVID, so Jolene and I decided to cut the car washes. The vehicles could stay dirty, we rationalized. That lasted for about a month. Keeping clean and organized vehicles helps to keep clean and organized minds, at least for us.
In the past year, I finally stepped up and purchased an unlimited car wash plan, and it may have been the best gift that an obsessive-compulsive person could buy for himself. In fact, I bought one for my somewhat-less obsessive-compulsive wife, too.
I am what the car wash industry refers to as a “heavy user” — those who use a car wash at least several times per month. We represent 28% of total car wash users. Meanwhile, 47% are medium users who go every couple of months, and the remaining 25% are light users who wash their vehicle every 6 months or less.
Squeaky clean. A sparkling shine. And maybe with doors frozen shut. That’s the way I roll. See you at the car wash.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
