SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Mainers are deep in the heart of pumpkin spice season, and an unexpected business is capitalizing on the craze—all for a good cause.
From Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, the ScrubaDub Car Wash locations in Portland and South Portland are offering pumpkin spice car washes for just five added dollars.
That $5 donation goes to Community Servings, a nonprofit organization that provides healthy meals to chronically or critically ill people and their families.
"We figured it would be a fun way to kind of spice it up a little bit," Alex Paisner, ScrubaDub's director of people and culture, explained.
For $35, Mainers can buy and gift a pumpkin, apple, or pecan pie—also to benefit Community Servings' mission, as part of its Pie in the Sky fundraiser.
"[Pumpkin spice] is sort of this quintessential flavor and scent that makes us feel like we’re ready for Thanksgiving," Tobin Scipione, Community Servings' director of strategic partnerships, told NEWS CENTER Maine. "And I think this ties in so nicely with our Pie in the Sky fundraiser, with the pumpkin pies, the fresh-baked apple pies, the pecan pies. It’s a creative way that ScrubaDub has put forth in terms of supporting our mission and building awareness about this event."
Every $35 pie purchase or donation made here includes a free ScrubaDub express wash and a chance to win a year of unlimited car washes, according to ScrubaDub.
So how exactly does this pumpkin spice car wash work?
"It’s an existing soap solution; it’s a low pH that’s meant to get oils and stuff off the vehicle," Paisner said of the soap used for the wash. "We were able to just add a scented formula to that to give it that unique pumpkin spice scent."
To enjoy the full pumpkin spice aroma, ScrubaDub recommends customers turn off their car’s air recirculation system and turn on their heat or AC during the wash so that the pumpkin spice smell from the outside makes its way inside the vehicle.
"We’re really passionate about supporting Community Servings, and every year we’re astounded by the generosity of Mainers," Paisner added. "Really, the state of Maine always comes out. Our customers support these great causes every single year, and we’re just humbled to be a part of it."
