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Your Environmentally Safe Car Wash Options

As the price of fuel rises, sales of new vehicles tend to fall. Many people are finding that their finances force them to drive cars that are not as flashy and new as they would want them to be. Until oxygen-fueled cars are invented, however (and let us hope it is soon), all we can do is keep saving... and try to keep our older-model cars sparkling clean and looking nice. Which means a lot of trips to the car wash.

A car wash, however, can harm the environment and use up lost of water. If you want to be environmentally friendly while keeping your car clean, it can be hard. And unless you're Rain Man and can count every gallon of water as it shoots out of the hose, you probably do not know what kind of car wash is most environmentally friendly. The truth is... all, and none. Read on to learn the environmental pros and cons of each car wash method.

Home Car Wash: When you wash your car at home, you have total control over what products you use and how much water you need. Some car wash products are particularly damaging to the environment. But since you have control over what you use, you can use green or environmentally safe products. As a bonus, a home car wash gives you a bit of exercise, the warm sun on your back, and who knows? Maybe a fun summer water fight with your kids in the front yard. However, of all your car wash options, a home car was is the one that tends to use the most water. On average, a person washing his or her car at home uses at least 50 gallons of water. Remember, though-- if you want to control how much water you use, you can.

Self-Service Car Wash: The good thing about a self serve car wash is that is uses quite a bit less water than washing your car at home. At a self-service car wash, washing a normal sized car uses up about twelve to fourteen gallons of water (if it's not too dirty). Also, when you go to one of those self-service car washes where you bring your own products, you're the one who chooses how environmentally safe those products are or are not. One thing you don't get with a self-serve car wash, however, is the lovely convenience of washing your car without even leaving the house-- or getting it all done for you at a full-service.

Full Service Car Wash: A full service car wash has a lot of pros. For one, it's super easy and convenient, of course. It also uses less water than washing at home, with about 11 gallons of water being used for compact cars, and 20 for trucks and SUVs. However, some full-service car washes can be unfriendly on the environment. Many use products and soaps that leech into the ground water and harm the environment in general. Others, however, are more environmentally friendly... you just have to choose wisely.