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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters switch to a no-wet car wash for just one wash, we'll save enough water to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
COCKTAIL FACT
In May, officials in Canberra, Australia, approved a business license for a nude car wash that features an X-rated sideshow and topless cleaning. Added bonus: They use recycled H2O.
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home › tip library › Eco Car Washes
Are you receiving hostile messages from strangers...on your car?
The Bite
Maybe it's time for a wash. Get a green clean by using nontoxic, biodegradable soap and turning off the hose between rinses, or try a waterless wash kit. And if you're feeling even lazier than usual, head to a pro car wash that uses eco-cleaners.The Benefits
- Saving water. Compared to a home wash (with the hose left running), pro car washes will save up to 130 gallons and drive-through washes up to 70. Waterless car washes use zero gallons.
- Protecting your car's exterior. Eco-cleaners forgo ammonia, which degrades rubber and window tint over time.
- Cleaner rivers and oceans. If you wash at home, chems from toxic cleaners run off into storm drains and into natural waterways.
Personally Speaking
Toshio refuses to use drive-through car washes, and not just because they're not eco. The last time he used one, he missed the track that's supposed to pull you through and lost a side view mirror in the process.Wanna Try?
- Eco Touch - effective waterless kit that includes organic soap and reusable microfiber towels; perfect for city-dwellers and touch-ups too ($20).
- Biokleen All Purpose Cleaner - contains nontoxic ingredients like grapefruit seed and orange peel extracts to cut grease ($8).
- Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds - handy multipurpose cleaner that works well on hard surfaces but is soft on your hands ($7).
- DIY Bite: Mix vinegar and water 1:2 to clean windshields. Also, using a bucket and turning off the hose while scrubbing will save more than 100 gallons per wash.
- All professional car washes treat sewer-bound water, but check to see if yours recycles its water or uses green cleaning products.
Aug 02,2007
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I Was a Victim
I was a victim of dirty car graffiti. The thing is, I deserved it. Only it didn't make a difference.
Between the time I bought it in 2004 and sold it last November, I washed my Corolla all of two times. Once during an extended stay at home one summer, I washed it as a concession to my parents, who were (understandably) embarrassed to have my dirtier-than-dirt car parked in their driveway.
The other time was when Heather borrowed my car for a week when she moved to SF, just before she bought her biodiesel, Trixie (RIP). Although Heather and I are friends, she's still my boss, and I was slightly concerned about what she'd think if I pulled up in a Dirtmobile and tossed her the keys.
So if any would-be graffiti artists are reading this, don't bother telling me what I already know. Chances are, I'm only gonna clean up if my parents or my paycheck's involved.
-Toshio...off to take public transportation...
Between the time I bought it in 2004 and sold it last November, I washed my Corolla all of two times. Once during an extended stay at home one summer, I washed it as a concession to my parents, who were (understandably) embarrassed to have my dirtier-than-dirt car parked in their driveway.
The other time was when Heather borrowed my car for a week when she moved to SF, just before she bought her biodiesel, Trixie (RIP). Although Heather and I are friends, she's still my boss, and I was slightly concerned about what she'd think if I pulled up in a Dirtmobile and tossed her the keys.
So if any would-be graffiti artists are reading this, don't bother telling me what I already know. Chances are, I'm only gonna clean up if my parents or my paycheck's involved.
-Toshio...off to take public transportation...
Biter Comments...
A fun way to wash your car and make your neighbors curious is to wait til it rains; then you don't need a hose at all.
Beware those waterless products - if your car is really dirty (like mine gets in wintertime from all the road salt and sand/cinder grime here in the snow belt), those products will cause major scratching damage to your paint. The scratches don't have to be very deep before you have a rust problem on your hands. Maybe it's not a big deal for the California desert-dwellers, but western PA is part of the "rust belt" for more than one reason.
I just use a couple buckets of water and soft rags made from worn-out clothes (flannel shirts especially), and I can wash my Focus with about 5 gallons of water total (or less if, as Lindsay pointed out, I start the wash at the end of a rainstorm). Simple Green removes the stuck-on bugs, and a microfiber cloth wetted with plain water gets my windows crystal clear, even removing the nose-prints my puppy leaves on the back windows.
I park outside when it rains, then wipe it down with a clean towel afterward. I don't even have to use soap. Spotless!
I live on a dirt road so my car gets washed one of two ways - by being left out in the rain or when I take it to the Saturn dealership for oil change or whatever (it's part of their service).
I don't wash my car but about once every other month. Since I live in the California desert and we're constantly under one water restriction or another, it doesn't seem proper to shine it up. Its also always windy here and when you haven't had rain in 16 months, the stirs up a lot of dust. So an hour after washing the car, it looks just like it did before washing.
Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) is a national, women-centered environmental health and justice organization that works to eliminate or substantially reduce environmental toxics impacting human health and to increase women’s participation in environmental decision-making.
On July 24, 2007, the organization announced a “Safe Cleaning Products Initiative”, a national effort intended to reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals in cleaning products. In conjunction with this, they released a new report, "Household Hazards," which suggests the more cleaning products you use the more likely you are to be exposed to hazardous chemical- that could quietly cause asthma in kids and reproductive problems in women. The report is a compilation of medical studies and environmental reports on chemicals found in cleaning products you may use everyday. The "Household Hazards" report lists the chemicals, the products, and the potential dangers that you won't find on product labels, because in many cases, the ingredients aren't listed.
One of the recommendations made by WVE is to look for products that have been certified by an independent institution such as "Green Seal".
The Shaklee Corporation Basic H2 Super Cleaning Concentrate is a Green Seal Certified Product!
www.greenseal.org/findaproduct/index.cfm#cleaners
I encourage everyone to look at the products they use to clean their homes, and make an informed choice when it comes time to buy new products.
If you’d like to try products from Shaklee, please visit my website; www.shaklee.net/greengirl
Funny. I've been a victim of this crime too. I have a question about washing on the grass. Doesn't this ruin the grass, make tire marks and all? Isn't their a better way to be eco friendly and not ruin your well kept and very eco friendly yard at the same time?
InventorSpot.com/blog/gloriacampos
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PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Laura | August 02, 2007 at 07:03 AM