When I was little one of my chores was cleaning our family van. I got paid $1.00, which I felt was very generous when I was 10 years old. As I grew older, however, the prospect of the weekly car-washing was getting a little less exciting.

I decided to come up with a plan. I would tell my dad that it wasn’t actually necessary for me to clean the car. Wasn’t that what rain was for? To wash off all the dirt anyways?

When I told my dad about my desire to let the rain clean the car instead of me, my sponge, and my bucket of soapy water, he didn’t agree with me. I dragged my feet, but he was pretty stern. It was my responsibility and I needed to keep the van looking good.

Now that I am older I see the wisdom in my father’s choice. Having a clean car is very important. There is more to having a clean car than just thinking of work for your 10 year old to do.

How clean you keep your car, and how well you take care of it, will affect the value of your vehicle. Always keeping your car clean will maintain its current value. A lot of the value of your car comes from its appearance.

It is important to clean the bugs from your car. Smashed bugs have acid in their remains, which can eventually lead to corroding your car’s paint if you don’t clean it up. Rust buildup can occur as well if you don’t keep your car clean and dry. While these problems can be fixed by a Utah auto repair shop, keeping your car clean in the first place can save you money.

Cleaning your car’s body and tires is important for safety reasons as well. When you drive your wheels can drive over a lot of things that can cause corrosion over time and make a trip to your local Utah auto repair shop necessary. We use to drive over road salt all the time during the winter months because the city put down salt on the roads to keep them from icing over. Never washing our car could lead to the corrosion on the wheels. Avoid an unnecessary trip to the Utah auto repair shop by keeping your wheels clean.

Remember to keep your car clean. If you are going to make it a chore for your children, however, I would recommend paying more than a $1 now-a-days. You would have more cooperative children that way.