Beware summer car wash fundraisers!

[manyopels]

Hello all, been meaning to post this cautionary note. We've all seen them, groups of students, cheerleaders, church youth, etc., standing at a street corner with signs urging us to have our vehicles washed for a small donation to a particular fundraiser. What would summer be, without young people earning an honest buck, right? And who doesn't like to have their cherished vehicle soaped, slathered and cleaned of dust and grime with little effort on our part??

Be careful though, as it's been my observation that more often than not the wash rags used to soap and scrub our shiny cars don't get placed back in the buckets of detergent.

Yup! They're dropped on the ground, and just like a magnet they're filled with small rock and sand particles. Even a quick rinse back in the bucket isn't gonna eliminate those pieces of grit that are soon rubbed into your car's once-shiny finish!!

Soooooo...not to be uncivic-minded here, but perhaps a freewill donation sans carwash, ie., wetsanding your paint, is a less damaging way for the youngsters to earn $$ for those band uniforms or cheerleading outfits.

And as a general rule, anything like a bucket or sponge used for washing your prized vehicles - or in my case, mahogany speedboat - is NEVER crosspurposed for anything else. If it hits the ground, throw it away!

[GoinManta]

Well... My 2006 GTO definitely doesn't get washed by those groups.. neither do any of my Opels. That said... I think its the only time my Wifes minivan gets washed

[newman27]

Good advice. Another car washing no-no is using the scrubbing brushes at a public car wash. The guy before you may have used it to scrub mud off his ATV and all the particles and small bits of rock get stuck in the brush bristles. Really the only safe way to get your car clean is to hand wash it yourself using micro-fibre wash mits, frequent water changes, and then a good waffle-weave micro-fibre drying towel.