car wash vs washing at home

[drip445]

I'm having a debate and I'm wondering which is more cost effective. When I do it myself, it doesn't cost hardly any money. A bit for water and soap, so maybe a quarter at most. So I always assumed that this was the most cost effective option since the local automatic car wash charges $5.99. My friend says that I also have to consider the time as well. It usually takes me about 30 - 45 minutes to wash and it only takes 5 minutes to go through the car wash at the gas station. He says if I consider time, then an automatic car wash is better than washing by hand. I still think that doing it by hand is better because it costs much less. Which one is right?

[Thrif-t]

mmm, I don't know but I'm speedy when it comes to the self wash place. For a $1.25 I get 2 minutes and I can wash in 1 minuted and rinse in the other. That's better for me that doing it at home and lugging out all the stuff then cleaning everything back up, but I can be lazy that way.

[wjcalderon]

It depends on what you do with the time you save by going to the car wash.
If you use that extra time to do something productive, it might be worth it to go to the car wash.
If you're like me and pretty much waste that time , you're better off doing it yourself and saving the money.

[disneysteve]

It depends on what you do with the time you save by going to the car wash.
If you use that extra time to do something productive, it might be worth it to go to the car wash.
If you're like me and pretty much waste that time , you're better off doing it yourself and saving the money.

Exactly. This debate comes up frequently - "Oh, I earn $100/hour at work so it isn't worth my time to cook my own dinner." The problem is the time you would spend cooking dinner - or washing your car - isn't time that you would otherwise be working so the argument doesn't make any sense.

Of course it is cheaper to wash your car by hand for a quarter than to pay a car wash $6 to do it for you. And if you have fun in the process, even better. As long as you aren't forgoing some lucrative opportunity to spend time washing the car, you are correct.

[cris22]

In my opinion both sides has good point. It is indeed essential to consider the time, especially when there are immediate things you need to do and you need to use the car. On the other hand, why would you pay if you can do it on your own. All you need is to do is determine your priorities or the situation. Like if you have nothing to do you can wash the car so that when you need it you can use it but if you have an urgent thing to do you need to pay for the car wash.

[bjl584]

I enjoy washing my car in my driveway. It's a relaxing activity for me. Plus it's a lot cheaper than going to a car wash.

[ua_guy]

Agree with Steve. Your time is worth money, only when you're being paid for it. All other times it's worth the opportunity to do something else of equal or greater value to you, personally, but it doesn't have monetary value unless it saves you money.

I'm a bit obsessive about my vehicles, so I take the time to wash them myself. I enjoy the activity level and it satisfies my OCD for having a very clean, highly-maintained car.

[Goldy1]

Home wash had superior results. I quit it after having my son bc its too tiring. I use my energy playing sports etc with him. I miss it.

[Goldy1]

Ps
My old saturn was easier to wash than my current large equinox.

[burgm21]

car washing

I always found washing my car took time because I was busy working and studying for my masters (quite the hectic schedule!), so I would always go through those cheaper gas station car washes that usually cost 5-6 bucks. I tried getting a kit on my own, but I didn't use it that often. I would recommend that you see how much money you can allocated to washing your car, and see how much time you have. Obviously getting it washed by someone else will save you time.

[ideasonfinancing]

Personally washing your car may seem so cheap but always remember opportunity cost. This is the cost that you might be getting when you decide to do something else more productive. I guess it is already explained clearly in the previous comments.

In my case, I wash it on my own because I see it as a bonding moment for me and my kids. That is just priceless.