Here’s why you should wash your car at a car wash

Fast Facts

• The best place to wash your car is a car wash with proper water treatment equipment.
• When you hand wash your car the soap and grease drains directly into storm drains.
• Storm drains empty into creeks and rivers where they can pollute our water.
• If you're in an area that does not require car washes to treat their water then wash your car on grass with biodegradable phosphate-free soap.

Why is going to the car wash better for the environment?

The BEST place to wash a car is a car wash. That is if you live in an area that requires (or if they have done so voluntarily) for car washes to be plumbed to the waste water treatment plant (WWTP). All municipalities of a certain population density are required to do so. All of the water from these places are treated just like waste water from your house.

Many of the automatic car washes recycle their water to minimize their cost and cut down on water use. Some of them even use less than 35 gallons of water to wash a vehicle. 

What if I don't want to pay for an automatic car wash or my city doesn't require car washes to treat their water?

IF you're in an area that does not require car washes to pipe to their WWTP or you simply do not want to pay the costs of an automatic car wash, we then suggest you wash your car on a grassy area. And then yes, you want to use a biodegradable, no phosphate soap on your car. If possible, please try to keep all water staying in the soil to help keep the dirt, grease, brake pad dust and other heavy metals leaving your car to stay in your soil.