Car/Boat Washing Practices

Use Clean Soapy Water and Never Leave Hose Running

Washing of cars, boats and other vehicles uses large amounts of water. A few simple washing techniques will save water, and give you a better wash.

Always use a good soap with warm water and a sponge when washing your vehicle. many people use water alone, which is not nearly as effective or conservative as washing with a soap. Soap will lift the dirt and grime off easier than just water alone, and can save many gallons of water.

NEVER leave the hose running when you wash your vehicle. Use a squeeze type (piston grip) nozzle on the hose, or use another sponge and several pails of clean water for hand rinsing.

Practice the wet-wash-rinse routine only when the car or boat is extremly dirty. In many situations, the car could simply be washed with the warm soapy water and then rinsed. This would eliminate the need for the pre-wash wetting, and cut down on water usage.

Also, when pre-wash wetting, or rinsing, use a gentle spray from the hose instead of a high velocity stream of water. The finer spray will wet the surfaces as well without nearly the amount of splash and waste that would occur with the hose at full power.

If you prefer to use commercial car washes, find out which ones in your neighborhood filter and recycle their wash water, and patronize them!

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