Car washing by hand is not green. When I say by hand, I mean pulling out a bucket with water and a sponge versus going to the “Pay-n-spray” car wash.
So, there are three reasons why it is best to wash your car at a commercial car wash versus the soapy bucket at home. Each reason is a “green” reason.
1.) Washing your car at “home” uses more water. There have been several studies that show that much more water is used when washing the car at home because most people leave the hose running. Commercial car washes will filter and reuse the water several times before it is disposed. Also, commercial car washes use the Bernoulli principle to provide higher pressure using less water thus conserving water even if the water isn’t filtered and reused.
2.) Car wash soaps contain chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. Commercial car washes must contain traps to collect the soaps and waxes used to be properly disposed of and prevent them from being washed into the ecosystem. Unless you have installed such traps at your location, the dirty soap water is often flushed into the storm gutters and transferred to the creeks, rivers, lake, ponds, rivers, etc and can damage the ecology there.
3.) The road grime you are washing off can also contain chemicals. Now, to me, this one isn’t as important since these chemicals did come of the road anyway and with a good rain will be washed away into the streams, but it is still something worth considering. Again, a commercial car wash will collect these chemicals from the road grime so that they may be disposed of properly. This will help reduce the amount that is flushed into the streams with a good rainfall.
I cannot see how a company that does not use a commercial car wash or impliment a commercial car was system at their fleet facility can consider themselves “green” if they are stating that they are “Green.” Yes, there is more to being “Green” than just car washing, but it is still a factor that is relatively simple concept.
I still believe that being called a “green company” is just a gimmick and will pass with time…like El Nino and the Ozone Hole…and that going “green” is just this decade’s way for scientists to continue working in the academic arena.
Comments written by New York Limo Service