When the rain starts falling, we’re still scrubbing!

The Portland area tends to get a little rainy right around this time of year. For those who don’t enjoy washing their vehicles, the weather might seem like a gift from nature. After all, you don’t actually have to wash your car or truck when the rain does it for you — right?

Well, wrong.

While the rain can help remove minor debris, there are a few reasons that rain isn’t a good trade-off for a good car wash.

Here’s why:

Rain is acidic: While a good deluge can take care of some of the dust that might otherwise collect on your vehicle, rain itself is — by nature — slightly acidic and can build up corrosive deposits on your finish. A little rain isn’t going to melt the paint off your ride, but the cumulative effects of it warrant a good scrub every now and then during the more weather-prone times of the year. A car wash will actually keep your paint looking new and keep corrosion off your wheels.

It leaves a streaky finish. The general misty nature of water means that any rainy will most likely just leave unsightly streaks and blotches on your windshield and finish. The build-up on your window might actually make it harder to see and your car look worse!

It won’t get the tough stuff. As an underlining factor to all of the above, the misty nature of rain in our area also might just not be much of an effective cleaning agent, especially for oily substances that need more than just water alone for removal. So while you might be waiting for a huge rainstorm to get all the crude off, chances are most of it will stay on your vehicle until you scrub it off.

A quick professional car wash, however, can take care of these pesky problems for you– and can be beneficial to your vehicle. Not going does a car wash keep your vehicle looking nice, it can actually keep it running better. Besides, it’s a great feeling to have a clean, spot-free vehicle — even if it doesn’t last beyond that next rain on the way.