car wash

Stop Stressing About Your Car

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Every car owner has a horror story about hours wasted at a dealership or car wash only to be left disappointed, stressed and frustrated.

Getting your car cleaned or serviced can be inconvenient and time consuming. “When you work in Arlington and your dealership is in Rockville that check engine light is going to cost you a whole day,” says Carvoodoo founder Pierce Boisclair. “Similarly, If you work demanding hours and car washes are open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. you’re forced to go on the weekends when they’re slammed. There needed to be better way to make car maintenance and cleaning more convenient for customers. So, we created one.”

Carvoodoo provides vehicle cleaning and maintenance delivered at the click of a button. It is a convenient, transparent and friendly vehicle concierge service that deals with the hassles of car ownership, so you don’t have to. Carvoodoo’s mission is to make sure you never have to visit a car wash, dealership or service station again.

To use the service, customers login into their personalized account at carvoodoo.com, choose the service they want and a pick-up time and location. Carvoodoo handles the rest.

Their crew members make the appointments, pick up the vehicle, take it to be serviced, check the work and keep you updated on your vehicle’s status. When the work is complete, a crew member returns it to the location of your choosing. All you have to do is hand over and collect the keys. It’s that simple. They also provide subscription services for customers who want routine cleaning and maintenance.

Book now and get 15% off your first order with promo code ARLNOW15

No Time or Place to Wash Your Car? WashMyCar Brings the Car Wash to You

When Daniel Fishman bought his first new car a few years ago he fell into a trap most new car owners fall into: A compulsion to keep that showroom gleam.

“But I found that living in a city apartment without a hose at my disposal made that difficult,” he says. “It was hard to keep my baby clean.”

That’s when it dawned on him that the car washing business was ready for a disruptor, an internet-based service that would essentially deliver a car washing service the way ride-hailing apps deliver rides.

Fishman and partner Dinko Badic launched WashMyCar, LLC, last summer. Car owners schedule their washes via a superbly friction-less web-based application or an old-fashioned phone call an hour or two before they want the service.

Car washes start at $22 for an exterior hand wash.

“We spend a minimum of 50 minutes on a hand wash,” Fishman says. “But we’ll spend up to three hours if a customer orders a full slate of the services we offer.”

That includes tire shines ($8), interior cleaning ($45) and hand waxing ($32). Customers may also sign up for a subscription for scheduling the service at regular intervals.

“We describe our service as somewhere between a machine wash–which isn’t as safe as hand washing–and a full-on detailing service, but we’re far less expensive,” he said.

WashMyCar is not the usual service you get from the soap splashing teens raising money for their high school bands at the gas station. Fishman and Badic are serious about providing a quality service that earns high praise. “We have 100 percent positive customer feedback, and we want to keep it that way,” Fishman says.

Which is why they bring their own high-quality, proprietary equipment and cleansers and a better-than-average knowledge of factory-applied clear coat, base coat and primer and what works best when cleaning them.

Like Fishman when he was inspired to start WashMyCar, any Arlington residents live in dwellings that do not make outdoor hoses available for washing cars and trucks. Fishman and Badic solved that problem with what he calls “a two-bucket method” of washing.

“We use two to three gallons of water, which is very low water consumption for a car wash,” he says. “So it’s eco-friendly, which was important to us. There’s virtually no water run-off. And we don’t need a hose. It takes a little longer than if we used a hose, but it’s worth it.”

The car doesn’t have to be outdoors, even: WashMyCar can wash your car in a garage. And the vehicle owner does not need to be present at the time of the wash, unless they want interior cleaning, and even then if arrangements are made for opening the car, they don’t have to be there for that.

For more information see the WashMyCar website or Facebook page. Contact WashMyCar at 202-810-9274 or [email protected].

The preceding was a sponsored business profile written by Buzz McClain.

School Car Wash Fundraisers Now Banned

By Ethan Rothstein

Car wash signs (Flickr pool photo by Christaki)(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) Teams, clubs and activity groups at Arlington Public Schools have been banned from doing car wash fundraisers because of stormwater regulations.

According to the county’s Department of Environmental Services, APS was issued its first stormwater permit by the state last month, after more stringent stormwater regulations were passed by the Virginia General Assembly in July 2013. The permit disallows all charity car washes on school property.

Washington-Lee, Yorktown and Wakefield High Schools notified their teams and clubs this week that they were no longer allowed to conduct such fundraisers.

“There is an important underlying reason why most types of car washing are not allowed under state and federal stormwater regulations,” said DES spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel. “The chlorinated water, detergents, petroleum products, and other pollutants that get washed into the storm drain system are carried into our local streams, the Potomac River and ultimately, to the Chesapeake Bay. As a result, there are educational and environmental benefits that come with finding new and environmentally friendly ways to raise money for extracurricular activities.”

However, some coaches are concerned that, particularly for the more expensive sports, the ban could have negative repercussions for the athletes.

“This could have a large impact on fundraising by sports teams/boosters/school clubs in need of dollars to support the school programs,” one Washington-Lee coach, who preferred to remain anonymous, told ARLnow.com. “I am not sure how many teams are affected by this new rule. I know that my team will be, since every little bit helps deal with the expense of our sport as we try to support the kids.”

Soap suds in a waterway in Bluemont (photo courtesy Arlington County)A few years ago, the ban may have had a greater impact. But Wakefield Activities Director Noel Deskins said none of the schools teams or clubs have held car wash fundraisers there for years. Instead, they opt for bake sales, pizza sales and other money-raising endeavors.

“I think it’ll be a little easier here adjusting to the new policy,” she said.

The new regulations passed by the state last year prohibit smaller public entities, like APS, from conducting car washes, according to DES Watershed Programs Manager Jason Papacosma. All car washes that aren’t for personal use require a specific permit or written determination from the state, even charity car washes held on private property.

“Working with APS, we plan to continue educate entities looking to hold such events about the rules and environmental impacts,” Papacosma said, “and work to suggest alternatives that can raise funds and also protect the environment and comply with the environmental protection rules we are both required to follow.”

Flickr pool photo by Christaki

High Pollen Levels Leave Cars Covered

By ARLnow.com
A car covered with pollen (file photo)

As The Weather Channel and anyone with seasonal allergies can tell you, the pollen level in the D.C. area right now is very high.

It’s something of an annual spring rite of passage — tree pollen levels rise as temperatures get warmer, allergy sufferers start suffering, and everything gets covered with a fine, lime green layer of a tree’s reproductive cells.

In particular, cars — especially cars parked under trees — are prone to becoming covered. Perhaps that’s why, at 2:30 p.m., there are long lines at the Mr. Wash car wash at 101 N. Glebe Road.