Dayton OH – When looking to buy new or used cars near Dayton Ohio, residents are being encouraged by local authorities to insist that the vehicle be washed beforehand. But, to be clear, not just any washing will do. In fact, a temporary county ordinance requires all dealerships (or private seller) within a twenty-mile radius of Dayton to perform an extended, high-pressure and high-temperature exterior cleaning of all vehicles as part of their purchase and sales agreement.
As locals might suspect, the roots of this requirement lie in the mid-February ‘Boil Water Advisory’ that affected some 100,000 people in Montgomery County. The advisory, a precaution against the potential of bacterial contamination, was necessary due to a water-line leak found under the Great Miami River. And by the time of resolution, the lives of nearly 400,000 residents had been affected in some way or another.
But contamination wasn’t the only concern. Described as “near catastrophic” by Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein, the water outage caused by the leak, lead to a 2.5 million gallon loss in a matter of 10 minutes.
With a few weeks having passed and local water reserves slowly replenishing themselves, it seems shocking that a new ordinance would actually call for the excessive washing of a vehicle. The reason? Concern that any vehicle washed during the ‘Boil Water Advisory’ would have cloaked the vehicle in potentially harmful bacteria, which could then be spread aggressively through high-speed wind shear and geographic coverage. The only means of tempering the concern would be through extreme washing conditions. Described as “counterintuitive” by many Daytonians concerned about prolonged water usage, the requirement has met its fair share of criticism.
But an innovative entrepreneur believes to have a timely alternative which addresses concerns on both sides of the debate.
Bill ‘JuJu’ Joshings, owner of ‘JuJu Carwash’ (located at 67 Ashey Zwayor Highway) had originally scheduled a Grand Opening of his unique business for April 1st. But recognizing that he could help the city of Dayton by fast-tracking the opening, Joshings set out to make the accelerated timeline a reality. But what makes ‘Juju Carwash’ different?
“A lot of people have heard of waterless carwashes,” explains Joshings, “But most people only know about chemical-based treatments, like those used by high-end detailers. But results vary depending on materials used and the skill level of the professional and, while I was confident in my abilities, I wanted to try something different. That’s when it hit me!”
What hit him was a slug. And in all fairness, it didn’t really ‘hit him’ so much as ‘found itself under his bare foot, when he was carrying the trash out of his house’. And yes, by ‘slug’, we’re talking about the slimy, shell-less gastropod.
“A lot of people don’t know much about slugs, but they’re a crucial part of their ecosystem. Think of your fish tank, and how you use algae eaters to help keep the water and tank clean. Slugs are like that, except on land. They can actually consume toxins, bacterias, and dirt and excrete it harmlessly back into the environment! At JuJu Carwash, we simply cover a vehicle in slugs…and let them do their thing!”
So, Daytonians…you heard it here first. If you buy a car and don’t want to subject yourself to bacterial risk, but also don’t want to waste water, you can opt to visit JuJu’s Carwash and let your car be coasted with a wriggling mass of slugs.
