*Poll results from the International Carwash Association

Sixty-two percent of car owners believe car appearance is essential.  However, 53 percent wash their cars less than once a month - and 16 percent never wash their cars at all!  To top it off, 61 percent of survey respondents admitted to leaving garbage in their cars, and 27 percent say their car stinks.

"It's ironic: People say they feel car love, but they don't practice it by keeping their cars clean," observed Courtney Caldwell, founder and publisher of American Woman Road & Travel and a leading authority on all things auto.  "A number of environmental car culprits - bird droppings, acid rain and salt, for example - can harm your car's finish in just a couple of days.  If you're not washing your car professionally at least once or twice a month, you're risking damage."

"One in four car owners believe that a dirty car reflects poorly on a person," said Mark Thorsby, executive director of the International Carwash Association.  "Aside from the satisfaction professional car washes provide from an image perspective - since, after all, most people care about how they portray themselves - many of us forget that professional washes and details actually save us money in the long run by protecting the investment we've made in our cars.  In addition, they are much better for the environment than at-home washes, which can use twice as much water and pollute local lakes, rivers and streams."
 

Information provided by the International Carwash Association after surveying 1,000 U.S. car owners.