By Lauren Bishop
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Joshua Wright sprays the rear end of a car before going into the automatic carwash at Mike’s Express Carwash on Colerain Avenue. (Photos by Brandi Stafford/The Cincinnati Enquirer)

Joshua Wright, left, and Ben Davis, right, prep a car before going into the automatic car wash at Mike’s Express Carwash.

A coin operated vacuum at Mike’s Express Carwash.

Dean Fulmer preps the windshield for a car wash at Mike’s Express Carwash.

Neon signs tell the driver what part of the automatic carwash they are in at Mike’s Express Carwash.

It's a tale almost as old as the automobile. Highway crews douse the roads with salt as soon as the snow or sleet begins to fall, and soon your car becomes saltier than the bottom of a bag of pretzels.

So you wash it as soon as the temperature inches above freezing - only to watch snow or sleet fall again the next day. Why bother washing it in the first place?

There are several good reasons, says Courtney Caldwell, editor in chief of Troy, Mich.-based American Woman Road & Travel magazine.

Among them, she says, salt can cause considerable damage to your car if not cleaned off, dulling the paint, rusting metal and pitting the chrome. According to the International Carwash Association, consumers spend $24 billion annually battling automobile corrosion damage.

Another reason to keep your car clean is to protect the sizable investment you made when you bought your vehicle and preserve its resale value, Caldwell says.

"First of all, it's the biggest purchase most people make next to a house," she says. "And for a lot of people who can't afford a house, it is the biggest purchase they'll ever make."

Won't a good rain get a car clean? Sorry, but no, Caldwell says. Rain is full of acids, which can eat away at your car's finish.

Next question: Is it better to wash your car yourself or take it to a professional car wash?

The car wash industry, naturally, recommends professional car washes. Caldwell, who was the spokeswoman for the International Carwash Association last year, says professional car washes are more environmentally friendly than home washes, and that they might save you money in the long run.

Professional car washes are required to have treatment facilities for dirty water, while soapy, dirty water from a home wash could end up in a sewer system that drains right to a lake or stream, she says.

A professional car wash uses about 32 gallons of water per vehicle, while a home wash can use up to 64 gallons of water, according to the association. A professional car wash also takes only about 5 to 10 minutes - less time than it would take you to wash your car at home.

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FUND-RAISING WASH

One of the Tristate's newest car washes will help raise money for three local organizations Feb. 12-15. Car washes at the LA Express Carwash at 6561 Harrison Ave. in Green Township will be free on those dates. But customers will be invited to give optional donations to benefit the Green Township Fire Department, the FreeStore/FoodBank and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Suggested donations are the cost of car washes - $8, $10 or $12. Information: 574-7072.

Many gas stations now feature car washes and offer discounts on gas if you get a wash, she says.

"That way you can do it more affordably, more frequently," she says.

Some motorists are concerned that professional car washes can scratch or otherwise damage their cars. But Jeff Mitchell, director of marketing and communication for the International Carwash Association, says soft cloth started replacing nylon bristle brushes in the 1960s and 1970s, and that virtually no car washes have the bristle brushes now.

Any damage that occurs in car washes now usually happens to custom additions, he says.

"We work really hard to make sure that the technology keeps improving and evolving," he says.

The cold drives Union resident Ted Bundy and his Toyota Avalon or Ford Explorer to Johnny's Car Wash in Erlanger frequently in the winter, where he usually gets the external or full-service wash.

But if it's not so cold - and if he has time - he prefers washing his vehicles himself.

"I'm kind of a stickler for detail," says Bundy, who once had a job reconditioning used cars. "They do a nice job, but I think I do better."

Not surprisingly, Bundy says he details his rides himself, but Caldwell recommends having your car professionally detailed once or twice a year.

Typically, detailing entails a thorough washing, waxing and buffing; cleaning the engine; vacuuming everywhere; cleaning upholstery and carpeting or conditioning leather upholstery; applying fabric protector; shining the tires; and sometimes more.

"They just get into places that you don't get into," Caldwell says.

E-mail lbishop@enquirer.com