Is the windshield of your new Honda splattered with bugs? Is the mud so caked on your sporty Jeep that you've forgotten its original color?
If so, Charlottesville car washes are open and ready for business.
In mid-September, the local government enacted severe water restrictions for community businesses, forcing many car washes to shut down temporarily.
But within days of the ban, Express Car Wash in Seminole Square began experimenting with non-traditional washing methods. They finally settled for a process they christened "Dry-Wash."
"We were able to get cars clean by only using one gallon of water, a very safe chemical and a lot of labor," said Henry Weinschenk, general partner in the business.
After spraying each car with a mist of solution, employees would rub down the car with clean towels.
"It doesn't get more untraditional than what we did," Weinschenk said.
In spite of such improvisation, business at Express Car Wash decreased over 50 percent after the ban, he said.
Late last week, Express Car Wash switched over to "trucked-in water," which local competitors already had started to use.
"Now we're operating by water that is brought in by tankers," Weinschenk said. "It comes from other places in Virginia where they have more water."
Although water levels are on the rise again, he said he doesn't know when car washes will be permitted to operate on standard practices.
"It all depends on the local governments," he said.
The water used by car washes only accounts for .06 percent of the local water supply, he added.
"The whole thing was done strictly for symbolism, not for reality," Weinschenk said. Car washes "were not singled out because we really use that much water. We were just singled out because water is our livelihood."
He said he thinks the ban on car washes was carried out so that consumers would get the message to conserve water.
Disheartened but not defeated, he said he just hopes the local government will be better prepared for future droughts.
As for now, "we're open for business," he said.
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