March 25, 2021—When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, maintaining a clean work environment for employees and for customers became paramount. All across the service industry, strict sanitization methods were put in place. Quick lubes were no different.
But now that more and more of the population is receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, will consumers continue to demand cleanliness? Or will businesses be able to return to its normal operations from the pre-pandemic days?
According to a recent study by the American Cleaning Institute, 85 percent of respondents said they are very or somewhat likely to maintain the same level of cleaning practices initially adopted in March 20 even when the pandemic has passed.
For that reasoning, it seems logical that businesses should follow suit and continue to have heightened cleaning practices to meet the desires of the consumers.
The cleaning industry has undoubtedly grown in the last year to help meet the increased demands, but it COVID isn’t the only reason these popped up. Shell and Turtle Wax were developing a new venture, Move Clean, well before the pandemic. The timeline of its launch just happened to coincide with the arrival of COVID.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that you should be cleaning because of COVID. But the reality is that you should be cleaning anyway,” Nathan Fink, founder of Move Clean, said.
Fink noted that a recent study found 52 percent of consumers believe a cleaning procedure should be included in a basic level of service, not of extra charge.
Quick lubes often may not need much access inside a vehicle, but any contact with the vehicle should be cleaned in the coming months with COVID still a threat and after, said Kristin Stuba, director of strategic initiatives at Turtle Wax.
“We absolutely believe that it is going to be the new normal,” she said. “We don’t believe there’s any reason why it wouldn’t.”
