No, I am not showing off my car. What's there to show off about my car? It's an old 1996 Honda Accord that I have owned for over five years now. Even if I purchased a brand new BMW, I would not be excited to show it off. I am neither crazy about cars nor about status symbols. So, what am I showing off? What I am showing off is the thing you cannot see. In fact, I cannot see it anymore either, and that makes me very proud. Having survived the heavy snowfall we had this year my car had been covered with a thick layer of dirt, and I cleaned it all today with my own hands.
When I was in Atlanta, the apartment complex I lived in had a car washing area. So, washing the car was easy, but after moving to Bloomington, I always had to take my car to the commercial car washers, because apartments here don't have car washing areas. Mostly I avoided car washes because they were pretty expensive. But recently, inspired by a friend I decided to wash my car in my apartment's parking lot itself. No water hoses here. So, a lot of scrubbing with half a bucket of soap water followed by three rounds of wiping with half buckets of clean water. At the end of it, the car was sparkling clean.
Benefits of this method:
- Save money by not going to the commercial car wash ($10-12 for me).
- Save gas (fuel) on the trip to the commercial car wash.
- Save a lot of water.
- Get a good workout (I am all warmed up for my swimming session now).
- Satisfaction of having made a small but significant contribution for a cleaner environment.
If you are planning to get your car washed, go ahead do it yourself. Don't feel shy. You can do it, even if you live in an apartment complex with no designated car wash area. Since you are not using a hose, your neighbors will not complain about flooding of the parking lot. Instead, you may have also inspired them to do their bit for the environment.
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