Car Washing eco style
 

For those looking to take their car washing to eco extremes I've just finished my first wash of my car (it only gets them once a year) using a steam cleaner.

In a word, WOW, these things eat through all the grime. Even the oil coated front wheels (euro diesel FWD thing) were no match. All the bugs implanted in the front grille and bumper were similarly lifted without effort, saps from tress needed a little rubbing but came of without any chemicals. I was a bit hesitant on the windows but the instructions for the cleaner said it was fine if you didnt spray too close and like the bugs on the bumper all the splotches came straight off.

And now for the shocking bit, cleaning the entire exterior including the wheels, windows, and rails used under 1L of water (and a chunk of electricity). No chemicals, just water and a towel.

I bought an entry level brand name unit, its in a plastic housing a little smaller than a vacuum machine and has a hose out to the changeable hand pieces. Well worth the investment even before I discovered its power on the car.

Even more eco-friendly: wait 'til it rains :-)

That bit is the killer, how much to boil a litre of water into steam ? Assuming the power came from a normal station (very probably as windmills as next to useless here) then you probably used more than 1 litre to turn the turbine.

It may be good as a deep clean though. :thumbup:

Just use hot bath water after a bath. Its even got soap in it :thumbup:

And its free with no wasted water or energy.

Collected rain water is totally free.

I usually wash cars during a good rain. The baked on stuff is somewhat pre-softened up, I get all wet anyway so being out in the rain doesn't make much difference, and there are no hard water spots left when I'm done. I've never tried to measure it but I'm sure I use the hose much less too.

...Mother Nature's "rain" might be unpredictable, but it's F-R-E-E and ecological -- *if* you ignore the acid-rain part (wink,wink)!

Ok, good to see this forum like many has tipped over to the inward and cliquey culture eschewing the entire purpose of it as most do I'll not bother coming back.

I'm not convinced tepid water would have much chance of cutting through the accumulated grime.

Interestingly it isnt always, depending on where you live the government may claim ownership of the rain falling on your property (like the minerals under it) and even go as far as charging you for reducing the storm water runoff they calculated in their modelling.

Most people wash with hot water to start with, so it cant be too far off.

Thats commitment, it was a little uncomfortable with all the heat from the steam but I'd still prefer it over soaking in the rain. In the past I've always washed over a garden but I'd never found a good way to shift the sticky messes left by bugs, even using the windscreen wipers regularly on long trips doesnt seem to stop them building up and the bumper tends to to be solid with the stuff.

Someone should resolve to be a wee bit less sensitive in '12.

Yay, some colour to uninformed opinions. If you think rain gets a car clean you obviously live in some fantasy land without trees or birds or insects.