Confession: Why I Wash My Car Once a Year...

I am sorry you are all now disappointed in me and my cleanliness standards, but my car just turned two and has only had a wash so far. Basically the “birthday” present for my car is a wash, and the one for this year is due next week. A bit after the event… A good friend teased me about it this past week-end. Although there was not a lot of dirt on the outside, it was enough for her to be able to write “Wash me, please!” on the trunk (called boot in Oz). So I started to wonder myself why I don’t wash my car. I think of myself as a clean, well-groomed gal, up-keeping even a house of too many bedrooms and closets in excellent conditions… I’m not a pig and I used to regularly take my car for a wash in California, so I cannot say I never washed my cars. What is it then? Why do I wait for a whole year until I wash this vehicle to return it to a tomato-red color? There are two reasons that equally determine my attitude. First, it’s the fact that the car wash is open 9 to 5, when I am at work, and on week-ends closes even earlier and the line is longer. I don’t want to do it myself because I’d use too much water and I don’t have a good car vacuum cleaner to also clean the interior. I believe it’s more environmentally-friendly to have the car washed professionally. Second reason comes from my rebellious nature. I didn’t want to have a car and drive a car because the transit system is broad and strong in Melbourne. Buses, trains, and trams make the city and suburbs buzz with activity. However, I had to have a car, because despite the presence of the trains and buses, their schedules and routes beat the whole purpose of their existence. All trains go into the city and then out and moreover, they do a loop around the CBD. There is no circular line, like a belt around the city, and therefore, I’d need to change three trains. Instead of travelling for 40 min one way, my commute (one way) would be 1h15min long. Double. Buses have so many stops that it would take the same amount of time, even if they don’t go through the center of the city. My point is that I was forced to drive and thus have a car, so I literally bought the car from the dealer floor, the cheapest but most reliable (considered) type I could, and never made peace with this issue. To be forced not to use a serious transit system and produce instead my own large carbon print in a country that prides itself (falsely) as being protective of the environment is quite frustrating. So, I am saving a lot of water by not washing my car, except on special occasions! The end. P.S. I didn’t know what picture to include today, and since I said I was not a pig, I found this one, of a cappuccino and a funny napkin (called serviette in Oz) from the “Hog’s Breath Café” Enjoy, eat with your mouth closed, and save some water!