Nobody likes to drive around the city in dirty vehicles. Unfortunately, some people are unaware of the environmental damage they might cause by using non-sustainable car cleaning techniques.
Most of the effects may revolve around water wastage or the chemical composition found in most soaps. You can continue reading for a better understanding.
Is Washing Your Car in Commercial Facilities More Sustainable?
Let’s assume you want to wash your car in your driveway. The most probable effect is that the dirty water will flow into storm drains where it mixes with streams, rivers, creeks, or other wetlands.
The bad news here is that the water may include components like oil, exhaust fumes residue, and gasoline. As a result, the water will generate poisonous effects that endanger aquatic life or even the entire ecosystem around your place.
Luckily, some countries like Canada and the U.S. have set rules that force commercial car washes to direct the water used into sewer systems. Once it goes into the sewer, the treatment procedure is similar to how household dirty water is handled.
Moreover, in commercial car washes, every drop of water is managed by computers. This can help control the high pressure from the nozzles and pumps as well as increase efficiency. The result of this is that gallons of water are saved every day.
In addition, most commercial car washes will recycle and reuse rinse water to avoid further water wastage.
How to Turn Your Home Car Wash into a More Sustainable Ground
As mentioned above, washing your car at home may not be as sustainable and may even cause harm to our environment. The good news is that you can still turn your home into an eco-friendly car wash in case you want to avoid repeated drives to a commercial car wash facility.
Here are some tips on how you can do this.
- Use gravel or grass as washing grounds
Even though washing your car on gravel or grass is not the best way, it can reduce pollution by allowing fewer impurities to enter the ground. Therefore, the main goal here is to prevent the dirty water from getting into the freshwater source underneath your home.
You can also maximize the effectiveness of this method by collecting some of the used water in a bucket and then disposing of it in your toilet or down the sink. This way, the dirty water will not go directly into the environment.
- Use environment-friendly cleaners
If you want to create a sustainable car washing environment at home, then you need to pay attention to the type of cleaners you use. This is because some of the soaps you use may include dangerous components that may harm the environment and the people nearby. Once inhaled, such components can cause eye and skin irritation, lung problems, burns, and even blindness.
But how can you avoid this? Well, even though wearing protective gear like goggles and gloves can help avoid some of the toxic fumes; it is still not an effective solution since some of the residues may still hang around in your car after drying. Instead, you should use environment-friendly cleaners or make a DIY biodegradable car wash.
- Practice water conservation technique
With numerous countries facing various climate changes, which affect their water supply sources, it would be more sustainable if you don’t waste water. For instance, you can attach a water spray gun to your hose to allow perfect precision when washing your car.
Alternatively, you can opt for waterless car wash mixtures which normally work by spraying a dirty spot and then wiping it out with a clean cloth.
Conclusion
Owning a car is the most exciting thing in life since it helps you to perform your daily activities easily, quickly, and effectively. But as you can see from the above information, keeping your car clean can cause harm to the surrounding. In this case, using sustainable car washing methods is probably the only solution.
In this case, it’s always better to have your car cleaned at a professional car wash and let the experts handle it. Not only are they more knowledgeable on the subject and have the proper equipment ready, it’s also a lot more sustainable compared to washing your car at home. Plus, a professional car wash will clean your vehicle from top to bottom, inside and outside.