5 Facts About Eco-Friendly Car Washing

The Grass is Greener

It's a fairly common image across the suburbs during the spring and summer months. The family car is parked on the sloping concrete driveway by the house, a rubber bucket is on the grass, with the hose a slack snake lying in wait. Unfortunately, this long-time practice can harm the environment. The residue that's rinsed off the car runs down the driveway and ends up in our rivers, lakes, and streams, polluting the local water supply

Break it Down

If you choose to wash your car at home, then there are biodegradable car wash products that reduce the amount of chemicals released into the environment. Simple Green cleaner is known for being biodegradable and its car wash is no different. Be sure that the soaps you use are phosphate-free. Homemade car wash can be made by combining ¾ cup of powdered, chemical-free laundry detergent and a cup of liquid dishwashing detergent. Dawn is a great choice because it is environmentally friendly and won't add any unnecessary chemicals to the mix. Even though you're washing with biodegradable cleaners, it's still best to stick to washing the car on your lawn to keep thirsty critters from drinking the soapy water.

Take Out

Commercial car washes are a great way of keeping your car clean in an eco-friendly way. Most are required to treat the dirty water before releasing it into the environment and their mechanical washing systems monitor the usage and pressure of water to reduce water waste. Most commercial carwashes also re-use the rinse water over and over again. That saves them money while being environmentally friendly. The International Carwash Association helps commercial stations maintain regulated standards.

School Days

Schools, churches, and other organization often hold car washes to raise money for new uniforms, trips, new computers, or books. When planning this day of car cleaning, be sure that local water disposal guides are followed to preclude harmful chemicals from being discharged into the environment. In lieu of students soaping up and rinsing the cars themselves, selling chances to win a free carwash booklet from a local commercial station is a great way to raise money and be completely environmentally friendly. Some commercial car washes will work with schools and other groups on special fund-raiser days that dedicate a percentage of a day's car wash receipts to the fund-raising effort.

Other Options

Waterless car wash is an option when vehicles are not too dirty. They can be applied with a spray bottle and wiped off with a cloth. Avoid using paper towels to reduce waste. Microfiber towels hold a lot of cleaner and rinse easily with very little water.

Tracie Close is a freelance writer for print and the web on eco-friendly topics. Her articles have been published in Saving American Manufacturing, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and High Tech, High Touch. She also has contributed numerous articles about green living for eHow.com