Wax on, wax off
Photo source: Thomas Hawk, flickr |
The current layer of dust enveloping my cute white Jetta had
me thinking that I’m in serious need of a car wash. I used to live on the coast
and recognize the importance of regular washings to protect the paint and keep
that windshield clean. Living back in Fresno is a similar story but instead of
salt water I battle pollen. Growing up I used to love washing the car with
my dad in our front yard, but equally fun was going to Red Carpet Car Wash and trying to
spot our station wagon through all the soap suds as the cars passed through the
tunnel. It’s the little things, right?
Photo source: autos.aol.com |
While I love most things DIY, zipping over to the car wash
is much easier these days since there
are drive through options at most gas stations. I was also happy to discover
that this method is much greener
than doing it yourself at home. Hosing down your car at home can use up to 140
gallons of water whereas commercial car washes use an average of 45 gallons per
car. In addition, commercial car washes are required by law to drain their
wastewater into sewers ensuring that the water plus soap (read: chemicals)
gets treated properly. We all (should) know by now that water
use means energy use, so leave it to the pros (unless you’re a big spender
and want to install one of these
babies), save water, save energy, and save an afternoon for a different DIY
project.