Eco Friendly Car Detailing

If you are lucky to live in San Diego and want your car detailed- I highly recommend Apple Polishing Systems. 

Paul has been detailing my car for years, and when I told him I was doing this post on Green Car Washing- he set out to enlighten me a little more. Not only that he is working on perfecting a new Eco Friendly Car Wash System- using less water! I asked him to send me some more information- about car washing- 

We  need to conserve water in San Diego and water rationing is something we are going to have to get used to. In fact, mandatory water rationing is in place in other parts of the country as well. This grim reality affects everyone who likes to keep their car clean. Since I own and operate an auto detailing service in San Diego I have looked hard at this problem and done a good amount of research. In my business we have complied with the local water runoff and reclamation laws for years but now we also have to save water. I care about our environment and want to do my part to preserve our natural resources, so I looked at the alternatives.

Waterless car wash

This method can be done by almost anyone, doesn’t require any special skill and is fairly inexpensive. There is really no such thing however as a completely waterless car wash since there is water in the car wash solution that you spray on the car. Also when you think about it, you will use a lot of water running those dirty micro fiber towels through your washing machine.

Those towels will degrade quickly and begin scratching the car’s finish so you will need to buy new towels often. You will also get a layer of sludge that will build up in your washing machine and will need to be cleaned regularly so you don’t soil your nice clothes. This is a decent alternative but I felt I needed to look farther.

Steam Cleaning

This method does use much less water than a traditional car wash but it is designed for professionals and it is expensive. The systems are usually bulky and require power to run which will add to the cost of the wash and also be less ecofriendly. I can see how a detail shop might benefit from a steam cleaning system but it won’t work for the average person so I felt I needed to look farther.

When I was looking for a water saving alternative to our normal car wash system I had some criteria that had to be met.

1. It must save a substantial amount of water.
2. It must be as good if not better than the system we were using.
3. It must have a low impact on the environment.
4. It should be something that anyone can do.
5. If it could save time and money, that would be a bonus.

Less Water car wash

This method uses a concentrate that is mostly bio-degradable and it is mixed with less than a half gallon of water to wash an entire car. A pressure washer typically uses between 5 and 10 gallons of water per car wash.

I tested this system extensively and had such good results that I started incorporating it in my business. The cars are now looking better than ever and it’s saving us time too. Car washes that used to take 45 minuets to complete are now being done in less than a half hour. There is no water run off so it is compliant with all city and state regulations for our storm drains. The excess water can be used to water your outdoor plants without harming them in the least. It’s also less expensive since it is a concentrate and requires no energy to run.

The Less Water Car Wash is a proprietary system that we are working to make available to other professional detailing services as well as the general public.

You can stay up to date with our Less Water car wash system and when it becomes available at… http://www.applepolishingsystems.com