Washing Your Car at Home May Not Be as Eco-Friendly As You Assume

Your car not only accumulates your carbon footprint due to the burning of fossil fuels, but also contributes to pollution. Some car owners who are striving to go green and to make their carbon footprint smaller feel that washing their car themselves and avoiding the car wash is the greener option. To them, it seems like the car wash with high-pressure cleaners is not as eco-friendly as washing with a hose in your driveway. But if you consider the factors more carefully, you may realize this is hardly ever the case.

Saving Water

One of the primary aims of an eco-friendly system is to reduce the water that is wasted when cleaning. Over the years, manufacturers have been developing systems that can maximize efficiency. This means the car wash systems today are designed to clean with as little water as possible while producing the same quality results.

The high-pressure cleaners are designed so that they can get rid of dirt, grit, and mud with minimal amounts of water. While old driveway car wash services used up to 120 gallons of water, the more modern services you can find at Andy's Autowash use about 40 gallons of water per car. More recent innovations can lead to even lower levels of water consumption.

Recycling Water

Additionally, car washes have recycling systems that can salvage the water lost through the drains. Using different types of recycling processes, the water can be saved and provide the same quality of wash as you'd expect from tap water.

Tank Systems. Most water reclaim systems use a series of water tanks to remove the oil and debris from the salvaged water. Water flows through these tanks so that lighter contaminants, such as oil, remain at the top, while heavier materials, such as sand, stone pebbles and clay, settle at the bottom of the tank. Most contaminants can be effectively kept out of the reuse stream this way.

Reverse Osmosis Systems. The reverse osmosis system uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove up to 96-98% of the solids in reclaimed water. Water is forced through the membrane at high pressure. This forces the water to go through and leave behind solids. This system is efficient enough to remove salts and silica minerals that cause spotting after a car wash.

Minimizing Pollutants

Besides saving water, an eco-friendly car wash should minimize pollutants. Most of the pollutants come from the detergents and other chemicals that are washed down the drain. These chemicals can find their way to the groundwater systems and not only pollute the water but the steams and ecosystems around it.

A professionally run car wash has to adhere to the codes and regulations set by the local authorities. Municipalities require these car wash services to treat their runoff water before releasing it down the drain. Wastewater is regularly tested by the local authorities to ensure it does not exceed the harmful levels set by municipalities.

Recently, some car wash services have been adopting more eco-friendly options to reduce the accumulation of contaminants. They are now using biodegradable cleaning detergents that contain no harmful chemicals.

Biodegradable cleaners are free from chemicals, such as formaldehyde, ammonium biflouride, and ozone-depleting compounds, amongst other chemicals. This also reduces the time and energy required to filter salvaged water from the car wash.

Eco-Friendly Car Wash

Unless you have a way to collect and filter the water going down the drain, a car wash is more likely to be the eco-friendly option you're looking for. Taking your car to Andy's Autowash for an eco-friendly car wash has many benefits besides saving water and reducing pollution. You can have your car waxed, restore the coat of paint. Or you could get some professional advice on how to keep your automobile looking brand new and pristine.