Patsy Vargas at work at the South City Car Wash (photo: Megan Kang)
Twenty-three years ago, Patsy Vargas walked across the street to her local car wash and asked for a job as a cashier. Now, after two decades of hard work she is the dedicated manager of the South City Car Wash in South San Francisco, which brings together the community and the environment in a professional car wash.
Professional car washes are a key method of keeping our local waterways clean. In contrast, washing a car on the street or in a driveway leads to dirty, soapy water ending up in our storm drains and flowing out to creeks, the bay, and the ocean. At South City Car Wash and other local San Mateo county car washes, car owners can also become a part of a larger, eco-friendly community in San Mateo.
Recognized by the San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program as a pollution prevention partner dedicated to protecting the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in 2015, the South City Car Wash has been family-owned and operated since 1954. In 1974, after the financial crisis associated with the oil embargo, the car wash evolved into an award-winning organization for their efforts in saving water.
The South City Car Wash constructed an innovative water pit on-site which recycles nearly 80% of the water used. Considering that each car wash uses approximately 40 to 60 gallons of water, only 8 to 12 gallons of fresh water is needed per wash. In comparison, a 10-minute home car wash uses 40 to 100 gallons of freshwater, none of which is recycled. Since the South City Car Wash cleans over a hundred cars per day, the business alone saves nearly 5,000 gallons of water per day, which makes a difference in keeping the San Francisco Bay healthy.
And Patsy makes sure everything goes smoothly there every day. Her pride is evident as she describes her role at the car wash by saying, “I run everything around here. There are 25 boys to take care of. I’m the big mama.” She is the first one to arrive in the morning, last one to leave, and to top it off she walks an average of 15 miles a day to make it all happen.
Bob Cavalieri, owner of the South City Car Wash, adds in an admiring tone, “She has treated [the car wash] like her own business. Patsy is phenomenal.”
In an era of fast digital communications and anonymity, the South City Car Wash retains its roots by fostering deep relationships with its clients and its workers. During her time working there Patsy has, “seen [customers] as babies and now they’re driving a car. We’re doing something right. I get to know their families and form that bond between customers.” She adds, “It’s like a big family [here]. When I got married, my flowers, photography, and priest all came together because my customers helped me out.”.
By uniting eco-friendliness within the greater San Mateo community, warm people like Patsy and businesses such as the South City Car Wash are sure to welcome future car drivers and encourage them to keep the San Francisco Bay and all our local waterways clean.
And until the end of August, you can get a 20% discount at South City Car Wash here. Do your part to save water and keep our bay clean!
