Millions of people get up early on Sunday morning to wash their cars in the drive. Or more likely, drive to the nearest supermarket car park to take advantage of people who do a ‘manual car wash’ for a budget price. But in fact, both of these types of car washes are very harmful to the oceans, as untreated oily water goes down storm drains and into the sea. Collectively, these small-scale car washes en-masse cause more oil pollution than major spills of tankers.
a revolutionary waterless car wash kit
Rubbit (above image) is a kit that allows you to clean your car without water. This kit has been designed by two airline pilots turned entrepreneurs, and the kit is happily used by over 15,000 customers. After becoming frustrated with wet clothes, puddles and risking damage to vehicles, they worked with chemists and detergent makers to develop a revolutionary formula that turns into foam, absorbs dirt and can be wiped without rinsing. Made for aircraft, this formula is now available for your car.
If you wash your car every two weeks, using this kit will save over 3000 gallons of water alone (their customers have saved 10 million gallons of clean drinking water so far). One kit can wash your car 25 times (the product is American, so you’ll have to order from them). The foam absorbs and lifts dirt and then creates a thick lubrication to wipe away dirt (including bird poop) without scratching the paint.
The neutral PH means it’s safe for all parts of your car. You can just soak used Microfiber towels included in a bucket of water as the detergent will already have washed them, to avoid microplastics entering the washing machine.
The company also makes eco-friendly windshield window tablets that dissolve to clean your screen (though you may wish to give the included air-fresheners a miss, as they look like they are made with fake scents). Use a charcoal purifying bag (below) instead (especially if travelling with babies or pets).
If you wash your car with water, the best option is to find a local garage that offers professional car washes, that recycle the water after treatment. If you like to wash your car yourself, the best option is to use one of the new ‘waterless car wash’ products that clean and polish your car in one. Use with a plastic-free dog-bone sponge. It’s best to just bin after several uses (don’t compost as any oil could leak into the compost bin, and harm garden creatures).
Dude How’s My Car? (London) is an eco-friendly mobile car wash service (almost waterless), that saves up to 300 litres of water per wash, and also donates to sustainable water projects worldwide. It also uses electric vans, and plants trees!
how to remove bird poop off your car paintwork
We’ve all been there. Park your car under a tree and return to find the gulls and pigeons have used it as a toilet! Note bird poop left on car paint for a long time will burn it, so it’s best to remove it immediately. Bird poop often contains seeds or stones, which is why it can also scratch your paintwork.
The best way to immediately remove bird droppings from your paintwork is to mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a litre of warm water, then shake to mix and spray from a bottle, leaving it to soak for 10 minutes. Then just rinse off with a wet cloth or hose. And if you want to prevent birds pooping on your car (apart from not parking under trees), a survey found that birds hardly ever poop on a green car (perhaps because they recognise the colour?)
who is washing your car at the supermarket?
Some reports have recently emerged that many workers at supermarket car washes are migrants, who are being exploited. Not always is this the case, but (like nail bars) sometimes it is. So check before paying money. The Conversation reports that some people working at some supermarkets (and ‘hand car wash’ services) were being paid just £40 for a full day’s work of 8 to 12 hours.
This issue came to light in 2015 when a Romanian working at a hand car wash died from electrocution at his rat-infested flat, while showering due to faulty electrics that were not properly maintained. A raid on a car wash in Wales recently led to one Sudanese worker fleeing onto the factory roof, where he fell and died.
The EAC now says that a car wash costing a few pounds may well be ‘funding modern slavery’. If workers were being paid minimum wage for these prices, they would need to wash one car every 7.5 minutes (without the add-on costs of water, electricity etc). Car wash workers also should be given protective clothing and equipment, due to many using chemicals to valet car interiors. If you book a hand car wash, look for one using the Safe Car Wash phone app.
how to valet your car, naturally
- Invest in a car trash bag to store rubbish, until you get home.
- Use a plastic-free cloth and biodegradable unscented cleaner.
- For odours, use a charcoal purifying bag (if you smoke, use a personal ashtray to extinguish the butt, for safe disposal later on).
- Use a windscreen cover over toxic de-icers (parking your car east will defrost the screen early morning). Or rub half an onion on the screen the night before (the oil lines the glass to stop freezing – keep onions away from pets).
- Learn of more simple tips to be a (slightly) greener driver.
