Tips For Eco-Friendly Car Washing

For those of you who own a car at home, taking good care of it becomes an important priority. You wash and clean it regularly, and see the hard work really pay off when, finally in your driveway stands a gleaming, shining car! However, have you ever realized how you pollute your environment with all that cleaning? A usual car wash produces many environmental perils like dirty water containing soap, detergent, motor oils, dregs from exhaust fumes and petroleum remnants. All these harmful wastes trickle off into the street and nearby storm drains. To prevent these hazardous substances from affecting our environment adversely, it is important that we learn a few eco-friendly car washing tips. This way we will contribute in making our surroundings ecologically safe. Read on for tips on eco-friendly car washing.

Environment Friendly Car Washing Tips

Use the least amount of water to wet the car’s exterior.
Always shut off the water supply when not in use.
Use a pail of foamy water to re-soap rags or sponges used for the wash, instead of using additional soap. Consider using microfiber towels.
Use a minimum amount of water to rinse the car surface.
Take care not to pour out the used, foamy water randomly onto the car-wash area, streets or into drains. Instead, try to empty the buckets into sanitary sewer systems such as sinks or toilets.
It is better to squeeze out the sponges and rags used, into buckets to be later emptied into sanitary sewers, and not straight onto the ground.
Vacuum clean the car mats or just brush and dust them off directly over a trash bin. Avoid emptying dirt from car mats directly onto the ground.
Some petroleum and acid-based wheel and chrome cleaners can be carcinogenic. It is therefore a good idea to avoid them completely.
After you are done with the cleaning, remember to clean up the place by picking up any trash left over and dispose or reprocess it appropriately.
A hot summer can bring water shortages. Instead try a waterless wash at such times. You could use smaller spray bottles or microfiber towels instead of buckets or hosepipes to clean your car. Microfibers are super spongy and can be re-used up to 50 times. The waterless car wash is now gaining great popularity in many countries.
Products like petroleum-distillates, kerosene, silicone or mineral spirits are carcinogens and have an undesirable impact on the surroundings. Try and avoid them as far as possible.
Buying a hose with an automatic shut-off valve is a good idea to ensure that excess water does not continue to flow when not in use.
Phosphate free soaps are best for car washing as phosphates support algae growth when they enter water and lessen the oxygen levels needed by other aquatic species.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Society'