Washing the Volvo Station Wagon

Tooling around in one of the Uncoolest cars in Hollywood isn't all bad. It is suprisingly roomy (especially hauling stuff), the air conditioning works, and the mileage is pretty good. There aren't any major dents, so it isn't the ugliest car either. It's just pretty Uncool.

That being said, Uncool is no excuse for dirty and I'm not the best at keeping it clean. You'd be surprised how dirty a car will get in a desert climate with little rain and lots of wind. They get cruddy fast. I suppose that's why there are so many car washes here in Southern California. It's not just vanity, they do get really dirty fast.

Yet, I am too cheap to go to car washes on a regular basis. I of course will treat myself every once in a while, but for the most part, if I want it clean, I pull out the hose and do it myself. As a kid, my Dad made me wash the cars and I hated doing it. I vowed as a kid to never make my own kids wash my cars. I do it anyway. I made my boys wash the cars. Fortunately for them, the discovered a way to squirt a car, use soap, rinse the car and it still looks exactly the same as when they started. Its like a magic trick they perform. It's amazing how little cleaning they do, even under supervision. To stop the whining and to keep my vow, I released the boys from car wash duty and I do it myself.

I have a car washing kit. The nice part about the car washing kit is the function that lets you stream soap through the hose. Cuts through that desert dirt quite nicely. With shams, buffers, and the like, the desert dirt has no chance.