Burning Man might be over, but the clean-up is just getting started. Around 8 a.m. on Monday, hundreds of cars filed into the Buggy Bath Car Wash. A majority of them were there to receive the post-Burning Man treatment.
“We start with the motors, we do under the wheel wells, we've got under blast inside the car wash,” says Ryan Armstrong, owner of Buggy Bath Car Wash.
Buggy Bath employees are careful to cover every inch of the car with soap and water since many of these are rentals. Their precision is important to the customer because the rental companies will charge extra if the car isn't returned in tip-top shape.
“They clearly said that there would be a $500 charge if there was any sign of the car going to Burning Man,” says Grant Lowenfeld, a burner from Austin, Texas.
Armstrong added, "It's basically supposed to look like it's never been out there.”
But that's easier said than done. It takes long days and a full staff to remove the thick layers of acidic playa dust that comes from the Black Rock Desert.
“As soon as you get it wet it turns into clay,” says Armstrong.
Obviously getting the playa dust off of the cars is a top priority for burners, but getting rid of their trash is pretty important too.
“Bicycles that get left behind, groceries, water and all kinds of things you wouldn't expect,” says Armstrong.
Armstrong asks that future customers instead bring their garbage to a Waste Management facility. That way he can take some resources off of trash duty and instead focus all efforts on the bigger task at hand.
"I don't think I could've done the professional job that the staff here has done, these guys clearly know what they're doing, so it was well worth the time, effort and money,” says John Corrigan, a burner form New York.
