Without question, the Pacific Northwest has some of the most beautiful winters in the world!!
The snow can be plentiful, and as it blankets our already incredible landscape the views can be breathtaking!
And then there's this side of our winters...
Yep. The unavoidable winter driving conditions that accompany our magnificent backdrop.
Along with the hazardous roads comes all the muck and winter grime that seems to accumulate layer after layer after nasty layer on our vehicles. Till you wake up one morning and realize the neighbor kids (or maybe your own) have written you spirited little poems on the side of your van and then you finally decide maybe that's enough.... time to wash my car!!
Although, even I have to admit, this new "dirt car art" thing going around is kinda cool....
Now, if you are a car wash owner, you know one of the biggest challenges every year is removing the massive amounts of dirt, oil, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, and whatever else kind of chloride might have built up on our customer's cars. If you are a customer, you may not even realize these chemicals are there in the first place. But if you live or drive in an area where the roads are periodically "de-iced," then I can assure you, you have some amount of these lurking on the surface of your car and feasting away at your clear coat and your $1200 rims. Yikes!
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the efforts our local and state powers-that-be go to to keep our roads safe and our passes clear throughout the winter season. But this is nasty stuff! It can be very corrosive to your paint and even the DOT recommends you at least rinse it off soon after exposure.
So how do we combat all the havoc the winter is wreaking on our precious automobiles?!
If you are the owner of a vehicle my first piece of advice would be to WASH IT!! A car, truck, van, whatever you use to get around is a huge investment that doesn't carry a lot of return. So you need to do whatever you can to help hold onto its value. Avoid being one of those people who doesn't wash their car all winter long because you know you will have to just turn around and wash it again. A new paint job or set of wheels is a lot more expensive than 4 or 5 extra washes throughout the winter. If you still choose to wait it out be aware that the longer it sits, the more difficult it is for you (or your local car wash) to get it clean. Don't be shocked if it takes more than one time through. If you go touchless, find car washes that have great soap coverage from front to back and good impingement (high pressure wash) all around. If you are a friction type of person and like a good scrubbing, be sure to use a car was that uses plenty of lubricant and soap. Tiny particles of dirt and sand can become trapped in the brushes and "smear" the dirt around. Also, look for car washes that offer a Total Car Protectant like Durashied from Blendco Systems. These create a "sheild" from many of the elements and protect your car from further corrosion. Ask friends and family where they go and use Facebook, Twitter and Yelp for recommendations and reviews.
If you are a car wash owner, take care of your equipment so your customers will keep coming back and use Great soap!! Invest in a preventative maintenance program to help stop break downs before they happen. Take precautions to keep your equipment from freezing. You will spend less money in the long run if you are not having to make emergency repairs. Don't be stingy with your soap! It can be expensive, but in this industry you get what you pay for so do your research and try things out. Don't settle for the cheap stuff, but look for flexibility and strength in your product. We use Blendco products in our facilities as they allow for adjustment in the alkaline (cleaning power) and surfactants (foam & scent) individually so you are able to increase/decrease one without having to increase/decrease the other. A great tool, especially in the winter time! Whatever you use, you may be tempted to scale back on application to save costs, but don't sacrifice a clean car for a few dollars. You will make more revenue bringing back happy customers than the few dollars you might save in cutting back on soap and risking the bad word of mouth an unhappy customer might share. Offer a Total Car Protectant like Blendco's Durashield. It protects from the elements in the winter time as well as UV damage in the summer. Worth every penny and your customers will thank you for it!!
Enjoy what remains of your winter and drive safely wherever you may travel or wash your car!! ;)
Jenna
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| Photo by Leif Harfst |
The snow can be plentiful, and as it blankets our already incredible landscape the views can be breathtaking!
And then there's this side of our winters...
Yep. The unavoidable winter driving conditions that accompany our magnificent backdrop.
Along with the hazardous roads comes all the muck and winter grime that seems to accumulate layer after layer after nasty layer on our vehicles. Till you wake up one morning and realize the neighbor kids (or maybe your own) have written you spirited little poems on the side of your van and then you finally decide maybe that's enough.... time to wash my car!!
Although, even I have to admit, this new "dirt car art" thing going around is kinda cool....
Now, if you are a car wash owner, you know one of the biggest challenges every year is removing the massive amounts of dirt, oil, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, and whatever else kind of chloride might have built up on our customer's cars. If you are a customer, you may not even realize these chemicals are there in the first place. But if you live or drive in an area where the roads are periodically "de-iced," then I can assure you, you have some amount of these lurking on the surface of your car and feasting away at your clear coat and your $1200 rims. Yikes!
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the efforts our local and state powers-that-be go to to keep our roads safe and our passes clear throughout the winter season. But this is nasty stuff! It can be very corrosive to your paint and even the DOT recommends you at least rinse it off soon after exposure.
So how do we combat all the havoc the winter is wreaking on our precious automobiles?!
 |
| for all you angry bird lovers :) |
If you are the owner of a vehicle my first piece of advice would be to WASH IT!! A car, truck, van, whatever you use to get around is a huge investment that doesn't carry a lot of return. So you need to do whatever you can to help hold onto its value. Avoid being one of those people who doesn't wash their car all winter long because you know you will have to just turn around and wash it again. A new paint job or set of wheels is a lot more expensive than 4 or 5 extra washes throughout the winter. If you still choose to wait it out be aware that the longer it sits, the more difficult it is for you (or your local car wash) to get it clean. Don't be shocked if it takes more than one time through. If you go touchless, find car washes that have great soap coverage from front to back and good impingement (high pressure wash) all around. If you are a friction type of person and like a good scrubbing, be sure to use a car was that uses plenty of lubricant and soap. Tiny particles of dirt and sand can become trapped in the brushes and "smear" the dirt around. Also, look for car washes that offer a Total Car Protectant like Durashied from Blendco Systems. These create a "sheild" from many of the elements and protect your car from further corrosion. Ask friends and family where they go and use Facebook, Twitter and Yelp for recommendations and reviews.
If you are a car wash owner, take care of your equipment so your customers will keep coming back and use Great soap!! Invest in a preventative maintenance program to help stop break downs before they happen. Take precautions to keep your equipment from freezing. You will spend less money in the long run if you are not having to make emergency repairs. Don't be stingy with your soap! It can be expensive, but in this industry you get what you pay for so do your research and try things out. Don't settle for the cheap stuff, but look for flexibility and strength in your product. We use Blendco products in our facilities as they allow for adjustment in the alkaline (cleaning power) and surfactants (foam & scent) individually so you are able to increase/decrease one without having to increase/decrease the other. A great tool, especially in the winter time! Whatever you use, you may be tempted to scale back on application to save costs, but don't sacrifice a clean car for a few dollars. You will make more revenue bringing back happy customers than the few dollars you might save in cutting back on soap and risking the bad word of mouth an unhappy customer might share. Offer a Total Car Protectant like Blendco's Durashield. It protects from the elements in the winter time as well as UV damage in the summer. Worth every penny and your customers will thank you for it!!
Enjoy what remains of your winter and drive safely wherever you may travel or wash your car!! ;)
Jenna
