Super Eco

Photo credit: jadey919, flickr

We're going to have to scrub this misconception clean: the car wash is not the eco-devil. Yeah, we know what you were thinking—all that machinery, all that power, all those icky-sweet chemicals and the gallons and gallons of water swooshing down the drain ... But put down your buckets, your repurposed rags and your homemade cleaners, because the bottom line is clear. Car washes really are the greener option.

Washing your car in the driveway typically gulps down between 80 to 140 gallons of water, reports the International Carwash Association. At a car wash, you can squeak by with only 45 gallons, thanks to high-pressure, water-restrictive nozzles. Some commercial car washes even recycle and reuse greywater. At home, all those suds and waxes run off into the ground and down the storm drain, where it wreaks havoc on waterways and wildlife. U.S. and Canadian laws require commercial car washes to discharge waste water into the sewer system, where it's treated and ultimately discharged as clean water.

If you simply must wash your wheels at home, do what you can do minimize the soap and water impact.

• Use an non-toxic, biodegradable cleaner like Simple Green or a castile soap like Dr. Bronner's.
• Make your own cleaner: try one cup of liquid dishwashing detergent and 3/4 cup of powdered laundry detergent—chlorine- and phosphate-free, and non-petroleum-based—per three gallons of water.
• Go waterless with a product like Freedom Waterless Car Wash.
• Install a high-pressure nozzle or squirt attachment on your hose.