3 Ways to Make Your Car Wash Eco-Friendly

Almost everyone cares about the environment. Many people and entire companies are doing their part to reduce our carbon footprint on the world.

Many car washes around the world are trying to find the best ways of becoming more eco-friendly. Others are worried about the cost of changing up their system.

In this post, we’ll show you how your automatic and manual car washes can help the environment while saving you money at the same time.

The Automatic Car Wash Myth

We’d first like to make one thing clear. There’s a common misconception that commercial automatic car washes are not environmentally friendly because they waste water. This actually couldn’t be further from the truth.

According to a post from San Diego Car Care, people use between 40 to 140 gallons of water when washing their cars at home. Not to mention, the run off from the car’s dirty surface drains into the sewer system and pollutes local rivers and waterways.

In contrast, automatic car washes use on average 30 gallons of freshwater according to a study published in 2018 from the International Carwash Association. Most car wash tunnels also have a water reclaim and waste disposal systems. This ensures water is conserved and no toxic material reaches the sewers.

Save Energy, Save Money

While car washes are more environmentally friendly than most might think, there’s always room for improvement. That’s why it’s best to invest in energy and water saving equipment for your car wash business.

It’s recommended that you use motors with a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Premium Efficiency sticker. You should also consider installing variable frequency drives (VFDs), which can adjust the power of your equipment.

You should also invest in a high-pressure washing system. These systems measure how much water is needed for each cycle and never uses more than that. If you can’t invest in a whole system, you could also switch to high-pressure water nozzles.

Reducing your energy and water consumption helps to maintain the environment. Even better, these methods help to reduce operating costs, saving you money after the occasionally pricy initial investment.

Switch to Biodegradable Products

On top of using less water and energy, you should also look into cleaning products that are eco friendly.

Cleanings products that are not harmful for the environment or for humans are normally categorized as biodegradable, non corrosive, and nonflammable. If you have to pay a hazard fee to ship the cleaning supplies, then they’re not environmentally friendly.

Switching to these products might be more expensive at first, but there are some notable positives.

• Less money spent on replacing corroded equipment
• Market competition lowers prices all the time
• Less materials you have to process from your waste receptacle

Efficient Reusable Water

One important way that car washes are becoming more eco-friendly is the widespread use of water recycling systems. By processing out particulates and reusing cleaned water, you can greatly reduce the amount of water you waste.

These water reclaim systems can come in many shapes and sizes. The main differences in the method and effectiveness of how the system separates solids and chemicals from the water.

• Water Reuse: Removes very little solids and chemicals
• Water Reclaim: Most solids are removed, but chemicals remain
• Water Restoration: Most solids and chemicals are removed
• Restored Spot-Free: Removes almost all solids and chemicals.

By using cleaning products with less harmful chemicals, you can invest in an effective water recycle system without breaking the bank.

Clean Your Pits

Your environmentally conscious efforts don’t stop at the car wash tunnel. You also need to make sure you properly dispose of your car wash pit waste.

While there are ways to DIY this process, it’s not generally recommended.

If you’re on the east coast and looking to safely dispose of your car wash waste, Pit Crew is here to help. We specialize exclusively in cleaning car wash pits and properly disposing of car wash waste.

Get in touch with us, we’re always ready to do the dirty work for your car wash.

Sources:

https://www.carwash.com/growing-environmentally-friendly-carwash/

https://www.carwash.com/becoming-eco-friendly-carwash-can-save-money/

https://www.carwash.com/five-eco-friendly-carwashing-tips/

http://sandiegocarcare.com/water-saving-car-washes/

https://www.carwash.org/docs/default-source/2018-water-study/ica—water-quality_conveyorbooklet.pdf