http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-i-wash-my-car.html
How I Wash My Car
I rarely wash my car, much to the chagrin of my neighbors (and my wife, who is sitting next to me and told me to type that), but when I do, I have a pretty specific way of going about it.
Step 1: Start late in the day after the sun has gone down. When the sun isn’t blasting away on your car, you can wash larger areas before watering it down, using less water.
Step 2: Drive the car up on your lawn. This has a two-fold effect as it means your water will get re-purposed for the lawn and it will annoy the neighbors (if you are into that sort of thing). Of course, this may not be an option for everyone, so if you live in an apartment building, feel free to improvise.
Step 3: Make sure to use a bio-degradable cleaning product that won’t hurt your lawn.
Step 4: Grab a bucket and a sponge or cloth and get to work (and make sure the windows are up–my wife told me to type that as well, but that only happened once and I really think it’s high time I stopped getting the stink eye for it….ok, just put the windows up).
By following these simple steps, I can usually clean the car with two 1-gallon buckets of water, which all end up going into the lawn. When you compare that to the exponential amount of water you’d use if you were using the hose in the middle of the day, it’s a huge savings. Of course, you’ll save more water by not washing the car at all, and if you don’t, you’ll end up doing even better when you start to take the bus out of embarrassment, so everybody wins.
My guess is that some of you may slam me for writing up a piece about washing your car when last week I was talking about contacting your representatives about the importance of global warming. I recognize it seems a little bit trivial in comparison, but I decided to follow up with car washing for a reason.
Life is not all or nothing, yet, when it comes to the environment, many people act that way. I’m not saying let’s all go out and wash our cars, and in fact, I think we’d all be better off if everyone got rid of their cars and didn’t wash or drive them in the first place. But having said that, washing with less water is better than washing with more. Diverting the water to the grass is better than letting it run down the drain. And using a safe biodegradable cleaner is better than adding more toxic garbage to our front yards.
My point is simply this. We all need to do what we can, and then hopefully do a bit more, perhaps stretching our comfort zone until the uncomfortable becomes comfortable, and then stretching it again. That’s called growth. That’s how change happens. That’s what works. So if you have written your reps, try saving some water while washing your car. And if you already do that, try writing a few letters about global warming, or stop using plastic bags, or stop using plastic water bottles. Whatever works for you, just try and take it to the next level.
There is strength in numbers and while saving a few gallons of water may not seem like much, a million people saving millions of gallons is. We all need to examine our lifestyles and see where we can make improvements, and most importantly, make them soon.
So if you can get away without the car, cool. If not and you’re good with not washing it, go for it. And if you need a car, and want it clean, try some of the ideas above and let me know your thoughts.
Oh and one other idea. If you really want to make a statement, wait until it rains and wash your car then. I did this once, in my bathing suit and goggles and the people down the street are still talking about it!
Dave
Dave Chameides is a filmmaker and environmental educator. His website and newsletter are designed to inspire thought and dialogue on environmental solutions and revolve around the idea that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. “Give people the facts, and they’ll choose to do the right thing.”
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add your comment »Since we save water via a grey water set up, I simply save the rinse water from the washing machine that is hot, and then I add some of my favorite Dr Bronner soaps and then I head outside and wash the car and use more of the clean grey water to rinse the car. And then......I make sure I use a car cover when the car is parked which prevents it from getting so dirty to begin with. Not to mention I have lower insurance rates because my car is clean inside and out. And I don't talk on the cell phone at all when driving!!
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"Save Water" must be the slogan. What do you think Buddy?
heilpflanzen
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I realize the aesthetic value of washing one's care, especially when we pay so much for them, but I don't wash mine (and haven't for going on two years). I don't because I cannot justify my washing a vehicle (not a person that truly needs a clean body) when there are people in the world that don't have clean water to drink or to utilize in cooking their food. There are too many people that wash their vehicles too much already. I always think of it like this: "there are people like me because there are people like you." Not saying there's anything wrong with "you" (those people that truly don't strive to personally make a difference by doing small things like recycling, washing with cold water and turning off the faucet when brushing teeth), but it's true. I go out of my way sometimes in my activist endeavors because there are SO many people not trying at all.
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Dave, my brother and I wash our cars similar to your method! We brush off all the loose dust with a broom (start from top), then take a bucket full of water we caught in the shower (the warming-up water), pour half of that in another bucket, add a little biodegradable soap, then we sponge down the car. Then we use the other bucket of non-soapy water and pour a little here and there to wash away the soap, squeegee, and towel dry the remainder. We finish the windows with a vinegar spray. Its easy, very eco-efficient, and takes about the same amount of time to do as conventional washing.
But after watching that video, now I'm just gonna let my car get all dusty then make art work out of it :)
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You may use less water than even Dave suggests by using a nozzle sprayer that shuts off AND by having soft water. Simply spray your sponge with water and add a little soap. Wet the car on one side. Scrub it down. Wash off the soap. Wet the other side. Scrub it down. Spray it off. With soft water you get the "spot free" rinse. (Car washes use water softeners.) That means you don't have to dry it unless you really want to.
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Hi Dave, what a nice surprise to read an article about car washing. You're right - it happens only once that one does it without having the windows up. I know one guy who forgot to close one window while running through a commercial car wash with it. Now he washes his car only himself.
Here in the north of Germany we don't have to wash our cars that often, the rainstorms do it once in a week - and that saves a lot of money. The first part of your article is much more joy to read, the stuff about the global warning - though it might be more important - is a bit enerving. Listen to your wife - she got what it takes! Your next article may be about cleaning the car from inside - will you use a hoover when you do it ? And is it solar energy by which it is driven or does your electricity come from a nuclear power plant ? Lawn kissing water detergents and bio-degradable plastic bags we already use more than ten years. It is time that you Americans follow up before getting too far behind.
Sincerely
Wolfgang
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I wash my car on rainy days, light rain of course, or in between down pours. Scrub, let it rinse, and then park in the garage, if you have one. Done, no extra water used at all.
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Amen Sylvia! I do the same. I was also told that isnt lazy but frugal!! Also sometimes I will support a local school carwash that is also frugal with their water... otherwise mother nature is good to me, (except in winter when everything is to cold & salty, wish they would just use sand!
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My husband wipes down the car when they are covered in dew. No water required, as long as you don't let them get too dirty...
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Really good article! I wish that this would be spread more with the media so more would get the idea to save water. Fortunately, I have a silver car so it doesn't show much dirt so I don't have to wash as often; but I do live in an apartment so I would have to improvise a little.
That's funny about washing in the rain! I've thought of that before but never have done it; I'm glad I'm not the only one with that idea. I saw that someone commented that it leaves no streaks - I'm gonna try it!
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