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Tip of the Week

By Solvie Karlstrom | All Posts

Waterless Car Wash?

5:50 pm - October 29, 2007

Photo: Waterless Car Wash?

For some of us, the Sunday afternoon drive is just not as thrilling in a dirty car. But before giving into the temptation to roll through your local car wash or to suds up in the driveway, consider the water weight of grooming your wheels. On average, full-service car washes use 37 gallons a wash, while washing at home consumes even more. With most garden hoses spraying about 10 gallons of water a minute, the average driveway wash uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water while sending oil, detergents, and other pollutants down the storm drain.

As severe water shortages sweep the country, dumping buckets of water to clean the car seems a little extravagant. Fortunately, ol' Betsy can now get a good monthly scrub down using less water than it takes to brush your teeth. Before she's so dusty that she looks a shade paler than usual, spray on a waterless car wash that breaks down grime and can be wiped off without the rinse. Eco Touch's waterless car wash uses just 4-6 ounces of water per wash and polishes as it cleans ($12.99/22 oz. www.ecotouch.net). Green Earth's Waterless Car Wash ($23/32 oz. www.greenearthcarwash.com) will get between 7 and 10 washes per bottle.

So leave the hose in the garden and the bucket in the garage, turn up the radio, and cruise around town with a spotless conscience in a shiny car. That's how we roll. . .

© The Green Guide, 2008

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Waterless carwash
posted by johnalexwood on 2008-03-31 15:04:18  

I think Miracle Drywash from the UK is worth a mention. It's not available in the US yet but if there are any distributors interested, it might be worth getting in touch http://www.miracledrywash.com

great article
posted by cali_stang_girl on 2008-08-13 13:34:31  

i've never used the two brands of waterless car washes listed here, but i've been using Detail Magic's (available at home depot) for a few months now and i love it. one bottle gives you about 8-10 washes and costs less than 18 bucks. good deal.

i agree
posted by auto_detailing4u on 2008-08-20 11:05:58  

i totally agree with Cali. i also have used the Detail Magic line and i absolutely love it. It gives you a great wash and wax in less than 15 minutes and one bottle lasts a pretty long time. I'd highly recommend it.

superb product
posted by auto_detailing4u on 2008-08-27 12:56:36  

I've also been using Detail Magic for a few months now and the end-result is absolutely AMAZING. You're done in about 20 minutes and what you're left with is a great shine without even breaking a sweat. Gotta love it.


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