We’re all getting more environmentally conscious these days, even at
Buggy Bath. But you probably didn’t know that most professional car
washes, including Buggy Bath, have been environmentally friendly for
years!

The car wash industry has been vigilant for years in protecting the
environment and providing customers with solutions that can help them
take care of their cars and stay green.

Here’s 5 environmental facts that you probably didn’t know about Professional Car Washes…

• After lawn watering, summer car washing produces the second largest
  demand for peak summer water use. It has been estimated that
  professional car washes use less than one tenth of one percent of the
  water used by a municipality daily.
• Many professional car washes use water reclamation systems to significantly reduce water usage.
• Professional car washes discharge their water into a separate
  sanitary sewer or treat and recycle it. Discharge is not emptied into
  storm drains. Most storm drains carry excess rainwater directly into
  nearby waterways without any additional cleaning of that water. Putting
  anything down a storm drain is the equivalent of dumping it straight
  into your local lake, river or steam.
• Many residents do not associate the effects of driveway washing
  with local water quality, and may be unaware that the pollutants that
  enter storm drains are not treated at plants before being discharged
  into local waters.
  Detergents, even the biodegradable ones, can
  have a toxic effect on a wide variety of marine life. For home car
  washing, use a bucket of water and dispose of the water in the sink (so
  that the water will be treated). Wash on a grassy area or other
  pervious porous surface such as gravel that can provide filtration
  layers for small discharges — and prevent travel into storm drains.
• If your organization is hosting a carwash fundraiser, consider
  using a local self-serve or commercial facility. Professional car wash
  facilities collect detergent and road grit from washing cars and
  dispose of it in a safe manner that protects our environment. “Charity
  car washing is no trivial matter. During a typical event between 2,000
  – 7,000 gallons of water are combined when soap, detergents, oil and
  grease, heavy metals and other pollutants, are washed down the storm
  drain. Water from these events typically runs into a storm drain that
  discharges directly into receiving waters.’ -  Natural Resources Defense Council, November 2002

Are you in the Central Kentucky Area?  If you are, that’s fantastic!  You’re just a little drive from the best Full Service Professional Car Wash in the State of Kentucky!  And you’ve got a chance to become a member of our Preferred Customer Program and receive a FREE Exterior Wash just for signing up!  Head on over and sign up today!

Pinpointing one thing people can do to maintain their car’s value over time is hard. Richard Griot of car-care and tool supplier Griot’s Garage says your investment can be best-served by “keeping its surfaces — the glass, trim, paint and wheels — clean.”

Your car has many enemies, some visible, some not so much. Emissions from industrial plants are released into the environment, where they are transformed into nitric or sulfuric acid. When deposited onto your car, in either a wet or a dry state, these contaminants can eat paint and, in extreme cases, metal.

Temperature accelerates the problem. Acid from bugs, bird droppings, tree sap and even leaves becomes more active when heated. Metal retains heat when sitting out in the sun, which in turn increases the chances that these irritants will cause permanent stains when left on your car.

And even though water is the best way to remove these contaminants, it can also trap them on metal surfaces if not removed itself, allowing oxidation to occur, which ultimately causes rust and corrosion. Sea or road salt exacerbates the problem by causing a chemical reaction that can accelerate pitting and rusting.

But all of these issues pale in comparison to time. The longer an offensive substance is left on your vehicle, the greater the probability and extent of damage.

So what, you say? A few war wounds on the surface on your car are endearing, right? Wrong! What it means to potential buyers — either through the resale market or a trade — in with a dealer — is that you didn’t maintain the vehicle properly. This neglect can bring resale or trade-in values crashing to the ground, all because you failed to wash your car regularly.

The reality is that people often value material things based on the way they look. According to the folks at Kelley Blue Book, aesthetics is one of the top considerations when a person buys a car. And since more people are testing the pre-owned or used market these days, it is important to keep your car looking its best so it’s worth more when you are ready to upgrade to a new car. A vehicle that has a pitted or stained finish or splotches of rust is a turnoff, and thus is worth less than a car that looks pristine, regardless of how you maintained the vehicle mechanically — sad, but true.

If you currently don’t clean your car regularly, it’s not too late to change your ways. Of course, the quickest and easiest way to a sparkling clean car inside and out is to take it to a profession car wash and detail shop for a professional treatment.

Before You Start
Mike Pennington, director of training for Meguiar’s, a leading producer of car-care products, says you should wash your car once a week. “Your car is constantly bombarded with contaminants such as tree sap mist and bird droppings,” Pennington says. “If the contaminants are not removed quickly, they can bond to the paint and even etch the paint.”

Are you in the Central Kentucky Area?  If you are, that’s fantastic!  You’re just a little drive from the best Full Service Professional Car Wash in the State of Kentucky!  And you’ve got a chance to become a member of our Preferred Customer Program and receive a FREE Exterior Wash just for signing up!  Head on over and sign up today!

Exterior car care is very important to keep your car running in prime condition. Also, it allows you to make your car really stand out with a special look that not many other cars in your neighborhood will have.

Many cars have been designed with special layers of paint that help protect the main layer of paint from corrosion or other damage. This special top layer has been put on most cars since the early 1980’s and is about as thick as a trash bag. Frequently washing your vehicle, about once every week and polishing your car about once every two months will help protect the investment you made in your car.

One of the best times to wash your vehicle is after a rain storm. This is because all of the acid rain that has hit the paint on your car can cause a lot of damage sitting on your car. If you wash off your car, the acid rain will be removed and your car will look a lot better.

If you drive on muddy roads or live on a dirt road you should consider getting an occasional undercarriage treatment. This will remove the caked dirt from under you car and enable you to remove the moisture that this dirt accumulates.

Driving in snow and sleet can add to the problems of acid rain as road salt does not like having to deal with your car. Road salt can have a severe damaging effect on the underside of your car, so be sure to get that underside cleaned often as well. With the underside of your car, don’t just let it be “out of sight, out of mind!”

If you follow all of these helpful tips you will have a car that will look nice on the road and sitting at home for many years to come. Although these tips may seem stupid and moronic to many, it actually does help to keep your car looking nice. Imagine if you wanted to trade in your car one day and the dealer declined it due to rust issues you could have prevented had your car been washed and polished on a regular basis.

Frequent car washing is one of the best things you can do for your car. Best of all, you can do it without spending a lot of your time and work by taking your car to a professional car wash, like Buggy Bath. After all, doing some preventative maintenance on your car will let you keep driving a vehicle that looks and runs great for many years to come!

Which is greener, a professional car wash, like Buggy Bath, or washing at home? The answer: Go with the pros.

Commercial car washes require an average of about 45 gallons of water per car, whereas home washers typically use between 80 and 140 gallons, according to the trade group International Carwash Association. That’s a big difference!

Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house. Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains — and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc. After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes — as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.
On the other hand, federal laws in both the U.S. and Canada require commercial carwash facilities to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors. And commercial car washes use computer controlled systems and high-pressure nozzles and pumps that minimize water usage. Many also recycle and re-use the rinse water. So feel good when you bring your car to Buggy Bath. You’re keeping your car clean, and helping the environment at the same time!

OK, so we all know that the best option for cleaning your car is to take it to a professional car wash, like Buggy Bath Car Wash in Elizabethtown. But, there is a drawback to doing that, especially in today’s fast-paced society.

Taking your car to a professional car wash can take some time. And waiting for your car to be washed can be a daunting and tiring task at times.  Depending upon how busy the wash is, it can sometimes take 30 minutes or more before your car is finished.

However, you can prepare yourself for coming to the car wash and make the wait not quite so unbearable, especially on a busy Saturday.

Here are 4 secrets that you can use the next time you come to Buggy Bath (or any professional car wash) to keep yourself busy.

1. Don’t just sit and watch! Ever heard the phrase, “a watched pot never boils?” The same is true of watching your car at the car wash! Just sitting and watching your car will make the time go by so slowly that you won’t be able to stand it!
2. Sit down.  Most full service car washes provide a waiting area for their customers.  This is true of Buggy Bath.  Sit down, relax. Get comfortable, it might be a little while.  Know that your car is in good hands and will be cleaned and returned to you as quickly as possible.
3. Bring a “distraction device”. We’ve all got one, maybe even two.  Whether it’s a magazine, book, an ipod, or a video game, we’ve all got distraction devices.  Bring one with you to the car wash.  Or, bring your checkbook and balance it.  Keep yourself occupied and you’ll be done quicker than you know!
4. Bring a friend.  Hang out for a little while with a buddy.  Or, make a friend while you’re at the wash.  They’re waiting just like you and would probably be relieved to speak with a friendly person.

Follow these steps on your next visit, and you’ll be done with your wash before you know it and be on your way about your busy day.