Will Car Washes be Banned?

By Dr. David Ghodoussi

Waste Water? Pollution? Climate Change? Arizona is on Fire. And, the fire is spreading to New Mexico. Its only June!  Many parts of the country and the world are under severe water restrictions or drought conditions. Whether these conditions are caused by natural phenomena or are man made, they have the same bearing on the car washing and detailing industry. Drinking water availability is limited in many areas of the world and from the climate changes we are seeing, water conditions may worsen and water can become scarcer in more parts of the world over time.

Car Washing Banned

Some of the municipalities in California have tried to ban home car washing not so much for water shortages, but rather to stop polluting the storm drains. These regulations have met with stiff opposition from the homeowners and have been reversed in most cases. However, for mobile detailers, it has become more difficult to obtain licenses or permits to run their business and in most of these areas water recovery systems are required. Currently there are several states and many municipalities that have banned mobile car washing completely or have restricted how much water can be used for washing a car. In the state of Georgia this ban extends to all mobile detailing, fixed location detail shops, as well as any car washes that are without a reclaim system. Furthermore, home car washing is completely banned in Georgia for the same reasons.

While mobile water recovery systems are available that minimize the discharge, they are cost prohibitive and can be in excess of $5,000. There is also an additional cost for hauling trailers with a few hundred gallons of water.  (Think of the gasoline consumed to haul all that weight around all day.) Furthermore, the hundreds of gallons of wastewater generated each day, will need to be discharged somewhere somehow as directed by these municipalities. While fixed locations in these areas do not have the problem with their wastewater discharge, these restrictions translate to higher water and sewage costs for them.

It is far from sustainable to wash the soaps and grime into the storm drains. Unlike the sewage water that gets treated before it is reused, the run offs into the storm drains are used mainly for drinking water with minimal to no treatment. Not many of us would enjoy a fresh brewed cup of coffee with a dash of car wash soap in the morning.

Chemistry Technology to the Rescue, to Use Less Water

While the threats are real, new polymer technologies have made it possible to overcome these challenges. Polymers offer many advantages over soap and surfactant based car washes. Soaps work by emulsifying oil into water. Therefore, they require lots of water to do their job as well as lots of water to remove the soapy residue from the car surfaces. If soaps dry on the surface of the car, it takes elbow grease to re-dissolve them back in water. Therefore, to use car wash soap, there is a need to presoak the car, and wash and rinse in sections to prevent the soaps from drying on the painted surfaces. It is also necessary to use copious amounts of rinse water to fully rinse the car afterwards to remove any residual soap from all automotive surfaces.

Polymer based systems on the other hand, do not require pre-wetting the surfaces. Polymers of the type used in no rinse washes have the capability to bond to the automotive surfaces. Furthermore, they can bond to dirt particles and act as a barrier between the dirt particles and the painted surfaces. The grime and dirt is then trapped in the polymer backbone and therefore there is no need to use water to emulsify the dirt particles.

Additionally, there is no issue with polymers drying out on the car surfaces since they can be easily wiped off or re-dissolved with additional solution. Furthermore, one can wash in this fashion in sections since the only steps involved are to wash and dry. Another advantage is that one can wash and dry a car faster with a no rinse type system than it takes just to set up a pressure washer. In many cases these polymer based washes, actually leave great protection on the painted surface since they are substantive and bond to these surfaces.

Using such products reduces the amount of water necessary to wash a car to one to two gallons of water. If using water is banned, one can use distilled water which is not drinkable and sells for less than a dollar a gallon in most places. Alternatively many of these products can also be used as a spray and wipe by premixing them with water and this further minimizes how much water is necessary for the wash. Last but not least, the one to two gallons of wash water is contained in the bucket and can be disposed of in the sewage system and not the storm drains.

To find the right polymer based product for no rinsing cars, one can test these products on a few black panels that are free of any marring or scratches. By thorough testing on such test panels, you can be sure that the product is capable of handling the job without damaging your clients’ cars. Another advantage of using a polymer based product is that the protective film it leaves on the paint can add gloss to the paint and continue protecting it at least till the next wash. Furthermore, some of these new polymers also add water repellency to glass surfaces and improve visibility.

How to Wash Your Car with Little or No Water

The polymers in no rinse type systems work at the molecular level. Therefore it does not take much product or water to get the job done. In most cases, you just need to add one ounce of product to one to two gallons of water in a bucket. Then soak a wash mitt or microfiber towel into the bucket and wash from top down as you would with conventional soaps. It may require a little more time to wash a very dirty car or may even take a second pass, however, the overall washing process will be faster since with conventional washes, the rinsing step can take longer than the wash itself. Also, if the weather is too hot, you can wash and dry one section at a time and avoid drying issues.

Another option on heavily soiled cars is to spray down the car with the wash solution first before hand washing. This will loosen the dirt and make the process faster. You will still catch most of the wash water with the mitt or microfiber towel. To make the spray process easier, most people use hand pressurized pesticide vessels. Another option is using battery operated trigger sprayers that can make the process faster, easier, and create a more even spray pattern.

Other “Washing” Solutions

Another environmental washing option is using a steamer to clean the exterior as well as the interior of the car. A steamer will minimize the amount of water necessary to clean the car. The steam can also be directed into tight areas to blow out dirt that just wiping the car down would not work otherwise. Combining this with a no rinse wash system will waste even less water and since steam is just water “vapor” there is no need for it to be reclaimed.

If you choose to use a steamer, it needs to be designed for industrial applications and be a heavy duty unit. A true commercial grade unit can operate continuously for a long time and has enough heat and power to get the job done.

Environmental Challenges Create New Opportunities

Sustainable practices are required in your business.  As always, any challenge can be used to create new opportunities. There is a massive movement toward being green and it is growing by the minute. By being pro-active and using a no rinse type wash and other environmentally friendly products that do not pollute the environment, you can market yourself as an eco-friendly detailer and use it as a marketing tool instead of worrying about water restrictions, fines, or even risking losing your license. Your existing clients will appreciate the fact that you are not polluting their environment or wasting water, and there is no wash water left all over their driveway or parking lot. You will also generate many new clients who are concerned not just about having a clean car, but also about being green.

Dr. David Ghodoussi is the president and CEO at Optimum Polymer Technologies Inc. Dr. Ghodoussi has over 12 years of experience as an organic chemist overseeing research and development focused in polymers and manufacturing automotive paint for Dupont and PPG. David can be reach at 901.363.4955 or e-mail him at davidg@optimumcarcare.com. He is also a proud member of the National Association for Professional Detailing & Reconditioning. To become a member visit www.detailersassociation.com.