Use a car wash service instead of hand washing.

When I was researching which was better for the environment- commercial car wash or at home in your driveway car wash- I thought for sure washing at home was the better choice.

However, I was wrong.

It is cheaper to wash your car at home if you have all the necessary tools to do it effectively, and if you wash your car with buckets of water instead of the hose. But it is more time consuming as well.

Most commercial car washes can recycle the 20-30 gallons of water they use to wash the car. They use the recycled water to mix with the chemicals and just use the fresh water for the final rinse. Since, handwashing uses 40-140 gallons of water, I think this is the more environmental choice.

When we wash our car in the driveway, the chemicals we are using to clean it are getting into the street and going into the storm sewers. This is not the most ideal situation. There is also a higher risk of scratching and paint damage from using products that might not be the best for our car’s exterior. At the car wash, the chemicals are made for that purpose, so you know you are getting the right products.

So, the next time you need a car wash, run it through a commercial car wash instead of doing it yourself. You might need to do a few touch-ups at home, but it will take less time overall and your car will be the better for it, especially if you get the undercarriage where you can not reach.