There is actually a science to car washing. Who knew?

Earlier this year, we acquired a car wash business. This has been Luis's thing, so I have been on the edges, doing only little bits while he took care of it. Being the word addict that I am, I started picking up his car wash magazines (again, who knew there were multiple magazines dedicated to this?) when I had nothing better to read. I have learned things that really surprised me.

Did you know that using a commercial car wash can be more environmentally conscious than doing it yourself with a hose? If you wash a vehicle on pavement, the water and chemicals run off into the storm sewer system. The storm sewer systems for most towns are discharged into lakes or streams. If you are washing your vehicles at home, please do so over grass or gravel where the earth can filter that water before returning it to the groundwater system. Commercial car washes discharge into the sanitary sewer system from which the water travels to treatment plans. There are also commercial car washes that use water reclaim systems, cleaning and reusing their water so that they never discharge to sewer systems at all. Nationally, over fifty percent of full service conveyor car washes use reclaim systems, but less than ten percent of self-service bays do.

Did you know that touch-free car wash systems actually use more water and harsher chemicals than systems that have foam pads that touch your vehicle? I had never stopped to think about this one before, but learning it gave me a "duh" moment. Full service conveyor systems use about 15-40 gallons of water per car. They use a light water and chemical solution combined with friction to clean your vehicle. Touchless systems can use 24-85 gallons per car and rely upon chemicals and increased water spray to break the surface tensions of the dirt and debris on your vehicle. Water is a valuable resource, one that we should conserve whenever possible. Home washing can use 30-140 gallons in a 10 minute wash, depending upon if the hose has an automatic shut-off nozzle or not. For reference, top loading washers can use 35 gallons of water per cycle and an average shower uses 35-40 gallons.

I also learned that the ph balance of the chemicals in a well planned car wash will balance out, leaving the water neutral. It never even occurred to me before to wonder about the effects of the washing chemicals upon the waste water and ground systems.

The good chemical companies also reuse packaging. Ours takes their barrels back after they are emptied and refills them instead of simply using new ones each time.

Who knew washing your vehicle could still be an ecologically sound choice? Go Green Team!