Most can agree there is something fun about throwing on your swimsuit on a hot day and digging out the garden hose to give your car a good wash. However, it may not be that great for your car or the environment. To help dissect which method is really the most effective and environmentally friendly, I’ve broken it down into two categories.
Good for your car:
According to a study conducted by the University of Texas, a single home hand wash can result in scratches that go as deep as 1/10 of the total thickness of the paint. Even with the correct soap and sponges, you can still do damage to the paint job. There is generally not enough water pressure coming from your home hose to completely rid the car of soap and grime, often causing it to bake to the paint during the next few days. It seems to be agreed that a hand wash is not great for your car.
An automated car wash leaves little room for attention to detail, in most cases, and if the proper blow dryers are not used, you may be stuck with water spots or streaks. Although, most modern automated washes use soft brushes and multiple coats of soap and a large amount of water at a pressure designed to take all of the soap and debris off of your car in a way hand washing does not.
Good for the environment:
When looking at the amount of water used, most would immediately point a finger at the automatic car washes. After all, there is a large amount of water consistently being poured down upon your car, but according to The International Carwash Association, an at home car wash can use around 80 to 140 gallons of water as opposed to the automatic car wash’s 45 gallons a car.
All of that water has to go somewhere, and very often when we wash our cars at home, it dumps into the storm drain, which is intended for rain water. It is then moved into our rivers, streams, and wetlands. If it was exclusively water it would be fine, but it’s usually packed with soaps and oils from the car. Commercial car washes are required to drain the water into the sewage system or recycle it and use it again. Surprisingly, it seems like the automatic car wash is best for the environment as well.
In conclusion, you should ditch the DIY home wash and stick to automated car wash. However, a commercial car wash won’t replace the dozens of memories you create in your driveway or on your lawn, throwing sponges and buckets of water until it turns into an all out water fight. Seems like it might be worth a few scratches, but what do you think?
http://www.autos.com/car-
http://www.detailxperts.net/
http://environment.about.com/
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