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Washing Cars the Environmental Friendly Way

If the dog is man’s best friend, the car must be a close second. In fact with more than 750 motor vehicles for every 1,000 Americans, they outnumber dogs by a factor of three to one. Among the many impacts of motor vehicles on our environment, car washing has been noted by many water quality experts as a serious contributor of nonpoint source (runoff) pollution. This activity can send high loads of nutrients, heavy metals and toxic hydrocarbons to receiving waters during dry weather conditions, when receiving waters are least able to handle the impact. What doesn’t make it to the water dries onto surfaces and washes into the water when the wet weather returns.

Taking your car to a commercial car wash or spray booth is a good way to protect our metro lakes and streams. The dirty water from the car wash goes into a wastewater treatment plant where pollutants are removed.

If you wash cars on a paved driveway or parking lot, the dirty water ends up in our lakes and streams. In addition, phosphates in the soap you use act like fertilizer causing weed and algae to grow in lakes and streams. Weeds and algae decompose and use up oxygen needed by fish. If you want to wash your car at home, drive it onto the lawn or a gravel drive where the water will soak into the ground. The soil will filter out most pollutants. Use a bucket instead of a hose to save water and limit flow. Wash your car in sections and rinse it quickly using a high-pressure, pistol grip nozzle. Use a biodegradable- low or no phosphate - soap. Also consider reducing the frequency of car washing and the amount of cleaning products used per wash.