Between using up water and chemicals running into the ground, washing your car definitely doesn’t help the environment. You shouldn’t just skip washing it, though — regular cleaning is necessary to protect the paint, to keep the undercarriage from corroding, and to maintain good visibility. Follow these steps to minimize your impact on the environment when you wash your car:
1. Get Off the Pavement
Most people wash their cars on their driveway and let the water run into the storm drain. Don’t waste all that water. Pull your car into the lawn to cut back on your watering needs, or at least pull it onto a permeable area like gravel so the water runs back into the ground instead of being piped out to sea.
2. Use Biodegradable Soaps
Most soaps contain harsh chemicals that are toxic to the environment. No matter where your car wash water will be draining, go for biodegradable soaps instead. They’ll do the job just as well without poisoning any plants or small animals.
3. Don’t Leave the Water Running
Hopefully, you don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth. Don’t do it when you wash your car, either. Using a hose with a good nozzle won’t just save water, it will also make your job easier as you can adjust it between a hard spray to get at the tough dirt spots and a wide spray to soak most of your car at once. If it’s too hot and sunny and your soap is drying out before you can apply it all, wash your car in sections.
4. Skip Water Altogether
Did you know you don’t even need water at all? Many car soaps need nothing more than a towel. They might not get the job done if your car has gotten really muddy, but you can at least cut back on the number of water-using car washes you do.
5. Skip the Chemical Detailing, Too
Do you like to finish a car wash by detailing the inside to restore the new car smell? Did you know that smell is caused by toxic chemicals? Instead of harming yourself and the environment by spraying those chemicals, clean the inside of your car with a vacuum, wet rag, and environmentally-friendly cleaning products just like you would inside of your home.
The information in this article was obtained from various sources. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.
