Many car washes are reporting business is equal to or better than the same time last year, even though water restrictions have been in effect since December. Tony Trupiano, manager of the Boca Car Wash, estimates that his business has gone up 15 percent despite the water-use rules. I didn't think they would slow down. Blame it on salt air, pollen or lack of rain, but the lines that snake around car washes don't lie. From the looks of the cars, people are not waiting until their vehicles are caked with dirt before getting a wash, said David Stern, an employee at Miracle Car Wash in Boca Raton.
Some cars are pretty dirty, they go into mud or something.
Jim Kukulski watched Sunday as his pickup was wiped down and polished with towels at Miracle Car Wash. Kukulski, of Boca Raton, said he usually washes the truck himself but the water restrictions have changed that. Another customer, Grizelle Rios, said the grime on her Volvo builds up faster due to lack of rain. Patronizing the local car wash is possibly better than washing at home, said Bruce Adams, water conservation officer with the South Florida Water Management District. Because they are commercial operations, car washes are not subject to the same restrictions as residences. The agency has mandatory restrictions in some of the 16 counties it oversees, including Palm Beach, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, and parts of Glades, Charlotte and Okeechobee counties.