Today’s economy is causing people to step out of their comfort zone and try something completely different.

Kim Wilson, a popular bar tender, has traded polishing drinks glasses, for polishing cars. Her new business, Bermuda DryWash, came about in a very unusual way.

“I hadn’t had a full-time job in quite some time,” Ms Wilson said. “But one day I was getting a ride into town from Kevin Burrows and he introduced me to the product. I looked it up online, read up on it and I thought I’d give it a try.”

There were a number of features of the Infinity DryWash system that appealed to her instantly, especially the opportunity to wash cars without the use of vast amounts of water.

Even in Bermuda, we take for granted that there would always be plenty of fresh water, although experts are stating in increasing numbers that the world is on the verge of a water shortage of unprecedented magnitude.

Worldwide demand for fresh water tripled during the last century, and is now doubling every 21 years. According to USAID, one-third of all humans will face severe or chronic water shortages by the year 2025.

According to CBS News, residents of China use 22 gallons of water per day while residents of the UK use 40 gallons per day and the average American uses 150 gallons of water per day.

The number of US states facing a water crisis is now far greater than the number of states without one. A total of 36 states face severe water shortages in the next three years.

The truth is that fresh water is very rapidly becoming one of the most valuable commodities in the world. Global corporations are gobbling up water rights as fast as they can.

Meanwhile, it is nanotechnology that makes waterless car wash possible. The new biodegradable nanotechnology car-cleaning products make for a non-toxic, eco-friendly, biodegradable and waterless way to clean and polish a vehicle’s exterior paintwork and protect it from the elements and keep it cleaner for longer periods of time.

The waterless car wash cleans, seals, polishes and protects cars, trucks, and boats — virtually any non-porous surface.

Ms Wilson struggled in the absence of a full-time job, and made a decision to go back to school.

She said: “I went to the Bermuda College and did the business administration course on a part-time basis and opened a small business in my home. It was not that successful. I became pregnant and had to put things on hold.”

She concedes that it would have been hard for her to believe that she would end up with a new business model — washing cars.

But what Ms Wilson is operating is not your ordinary car wash. And while she has been busy, she says she is working hard to put all the pieces in place to build here business.

She said: “I started the business in January. I’m getting my insurance programme finalised together and forming a limited liability company.

“I’m also confirming my operating locations at Washington Properties and Belmont Golf Course. We need to arrange for more locations.

‘We don’t just supply an ordinary wash. We are also detailing, We’re not just washing the exterior, but cleaning every aspect of the car, getting into the grooves and providing the wax protection and sealants that protect the cars from salt water, acid rain and rust. And through my husband, Kwesi, we can do some minor mechanic work on the cars.

“We’re a mobile service and can go directly to the customer. But the main thing is that it is a waterless cleaning, which is good for the environment.”

Customer Alan Lindo told us: ”It was a great job. My car is 14 years old. Her work made the car look brand new.”

He added jokingly: “I feel like I should be locked up for underpaying her.”

Cash flow is a problem at the moment, but Ms Wilson is hopeful that steady business will rectify that situation in the future, so that she can stock up on some of the latest products from Europe.