Pollen slows detail business
Published 12:00 am Friday, April 16, 2010
It’s all too common for people to complain about the pollen stirring up their allergies, but that’s not the only problem it’s causing this spring.
The effects of pollen have hit at least one automobile detailing service hard.
“People won’t wash their cars because of the pollen falling,” T&M Tinting and Detailing owner Wendell Edwards said Thursday. “The vehicles have been covered in pollen, but people don’t want to spend the money on detailing when the pollen is just going to go right back on the vehicle.”
In fact, Edwards said that last week he and his employees had to take a dust mop to the cars when they were finished washing them because of how heavy the pollen was.
“Just as quick as we wash them the pollen comes right back on it,” he said. “Last week it was a lot worse. You could see it come down like it was snowing.”
While, the business is open year-round, Edwards said springtime is the peak season for car washing.
“We’ve only been washing about six or seven a day,” he said. “Normally, we do more than that during the spring, but the pollen is interfering.”
Edwards said he thinks a lot of people may be using the quick drive-thru car washes because they are cheaper and quicker.
Another problem, Edwards said, is that the pollen this year is so heavy it gets on inside to the interior of the cars.
“It’s pretty bad. You can’t leave your car door open at all or you will have pollen in it,” he said.
“It’s been so bad this year. I had a customer call me and say they were going to bring us a car that has been under a carport and is completely covered in pollen.”
Pollen counts for the Andalusia area have been classified as very high since April 9 and the forecast remains very high today, the weather.com Web site said.
Oak tree pollen is the most active in this area.