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waterless car wash
Posted by Alicia Silverstone on Mar 24, 2010

 

Everyone in Los Angeles is so obsessed with keeping their cars sparkling clean!  I like a clean car too, but car washes use soooo much water and washing your car so often can become incredibly wasteful.  



According to the LA Times, washing your car at home can use up to 80-140 gallons of water, while using a commercial car wash uses just 20-45 gallons.  So if you must wash your car at home, it's probably a good idea to purchase one of those squeeze nozzle grips that regulates the flow of water rather than letting the water constantly run.  But it seems like taking your car to a commercial wash is a better way to conserve water.  



However, a while ago I saw this eco-friendly, waterless car wash in a Los Angeles parking garage called Keep It Klean, and was inspired to learn more about waterless car washes. 

Waterless washes have been around for several years now to combat against the drought, and are definitely becoming more popular.  I also found a couple products, Eco Touch and Lucky Earth, that you can use at home too if you're taking the waterless route. 

This is how a waterless car wash works:

“A waterless car wash or dry wash is a technique used to wash a vehicle without the use of water. A solution is used that contains a mix of ingredients, including wetting agents, lubricants, surfactants, and protectants. The surfactants enable the wetting agents to surround dirt particles, leading to emulsification (the dirt is dispersed into the liquid). In some products, a protectant, such as carnauba wax or a form of silicone polymer is left on the surface, which provides glaze. The product may also contain a polishing ingredient, such as kaolin clay, a super fine abrasive that buffs out small surface scratches.



After the product is sprayed on, it is wiped off with a clean, dry towel. After the wipe-down, some polishing agent and some glazing or waxing agent may remain on the surface. A second towel is used to polish the car by buffing the agents that remain behind.”

All of the products used at Keep it Klean car wash are earth friendly.  If you find a waterless car wash near you, just make sure to ask if all of the products that they use are earth friendly.

During my search for eco-friendly car wash products I came across H2O Conserve,which is a website where you can get tips for saving water, and even calculate your water footprint! 

Have any of you been to a waterless car wash before?

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I don't wash my car very often at all. I live on a farm with a dirt/rock road and it doesn't take long to dirty a clean car. I like the idea of saving water by using the eco -friendly solutions you mention. You'll probably get a good arm & back workout at the same time!
http://www.ecowash.com.au/ Here's an Australian one
@ meghantoo . I live in Calgary. Where is the waterless car wash you mentioned. I would love to try it out.Thanks.
can you also talk about the NYC sidewalks? i get a knot in my stomach every time i walk to work at 6:30am and see them get sprayed.  They use so much unnecessary water (haven't they heard of power washing -uses so much less water) --or better yet, have they heard of rain? They waste so much water it's sad to look.  i wish there was some regulations (for example, only allowed once a week, not every single morning -even once a week is a lot, but better than every morning,.). 
Ok. i finally got this out of my system.. it's been bothering me for years. and with the summer approaching i know i will see them more and more and get frustrated more and more 

The best eco friendly car wash product is Soap Nuts. Soap nuts are berries that grow on the Chinese Soap Berry Tree and then are dried in the sun. No chemicals are added and they are amazing for washing clothes but they work great for washing the car.  Just toss about 5 berries into a bucket and fill with water from the garden hose under pressure and they suds up just like toxic chemical car washes. They clean just as good as anything I have ever used before. Then when I am done washing the car i throw the used water on my bushes and lawn. (its totally chemical free) For the best price and highest quality on Soap Nuts go to http://www.greenvirginproducts.com
I forget to tell you that when your done washing the car you can reuse the same soap nuts again to wash the car next time or do a couple of loads of laundry.

 Although you can conserve water by using  these products,  they  might contain chemicals that are  toxic, so still it is  non- eco friendly. There is this waterless car wash  in Detroit  that uses steam cleaning method instead.  And I believe it is a great idea. I've been going there for years now.

We use the waterless car wash system with very much success for our mobile services. We highly recommend the waterless products to do it yourself or to use waterless car washes instead of the regular car washes.
Check our website for more information and faq: http://www.earthcarwash.com

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