6 Ways to Improve the Eco-Friendliness of Your Car Wash

Although going green used to be a trend, it’s now a necessity. If we want to conserve our natural resources, being as environmentally friendly as possible is really the only way to go. As a business that uses commercial car wash supplies, there are many things you can do to become greener than ever before, and you may be surprised to learn that most of them will also benefit your business.

1.  Reduce Water Consumption

Using a car wash is already better for the environment because they use a fraction of the water that would be used to wash a car in a driveway, which is a solid selling point. Yet take a look at your equipment; is there something you could be doing to use even less water than you’re using now?

Water Flow

The answer can be found in your shower at home. There are all kinds of low-flow showerheads on the market. The great thing about them is that they consume a very small amount of water without you even noticing it. This is thanks to aerators, which inject air into the water stream.

This causes the water to spray over a greater area, but in smaller amounts. Many car washes use aerators, which save thousands of gallons of water per year. Replacing current nozzles with those of a smaller size is another way that car washes save water and reduce their overall costs.

High-pressure nozzles also help your car wash to use far less water, as they measure the amount of water that will be needed and deliver only that amount.

Water Reclamation

Along with using as little water as possible, you can also take steps to reclaim unused water and recycle it. This can be done by upgrading your car wash to include a reclaim system. If you own a self-wash bay system car wash business, check to ensure that reclaim water is being used for all washing functions, with the exception of the final rinsing stage. If not, adjustment to your current system may be required.

Automatic car washes will either use a single or double system for reclaiming water. It will either use two separate tanks for reusing water and providing clean water or use one unit for all washing until the final rinse.

Water Collection

You can also reduce your water consumption by collecting and using rainwater in your automatic car wash. This will require equipment that captures, filters, and diverts rainwater into tanks located underground. Collecting water in this way eliminates the need to rely solely on town or city water.

2. Equipment

The equipment you use in your car wash will definitely affect how eco-friendly it is. Older equipment like nozzles will be far less efficient than modern nozzles. In addition to updating your equipment, it must be optimized to use as little water as possible.

Nozzle Timing

Do you know at what point the nozzles at your car wash turn on? If not, it’s time to start paying attention. Why is this a big deal? Because it can make literally gallons of difference. In order to save the most water, the nozzles at your car wash will ideally turn on at the time a vehicle’s front end hits the entrance line, and then shut off as soon as that vehicle moves outside its range.

Nozzle Alignment

Along with when water hits a vehicle is how the nozzles in your car wash are aligned. Nozzles that only direct water at part of the car will waste the rest. They should be aligned to reach as much of each vehicle as possible as it passes by.

3. Conduct Regular Maintenance

Leaks in your equipment can cause you to lose—and pay for—a lot more water than you expect to. That being said, you have to inspect your car wash at least every month for leaks. Take some time at the end of the day or during slow times to get in there while the wash is running to get a visual.

In addition to getting a good visual of how efficiently your equipment is working, get a reading of your water meter every month. You’ll want to do this after completely shutting down all of your equipment, and then again when you start it back up. This will help you catch any leaks that you may not have been able to spot with your visual inspection.

4. Use and Emit Less Electricity

A car wash can save electricity by doing a few simple things. Swapping out inefficient lighting for high-efficiency lighting is a great way to save on electricity and make your car wash more eco-friendly.

Adding solar panels to the top of your building can allow you to use less produced electricity. This helps reduce the amount of pollution you create and reduces the load on the grid. It might -even get you a monetary bonus at the end of the year if there’s a rebate program in your area.

Wind power can also help you increase your eco-friendliness and reduce costs. Of course, this depends on the weather conditions in your area. A car wash located on the coast or at a higher elevation will be better able to harness that wind power for better efficiency.

5. Use Green Washing Products

There are lots of terrific products out there now that can increase the eco-friendliness of your car wash. Soaps, waxes, and spray-away glass cleaners that are biodegradable offer lots of benefits to the environment and your business.

When customers know that using your car wash will not harm the environment, guess where they will go every time they need to clean their car? It won’t be the wasteful competition, that’s for sure. The products your car wash uses should be free of harmful ingredients like silicone, petroleum-distillates, and kerosene.

As well as not containing dangerous chemicals, many green washing products also come concentrated so that less of the product is needed per wash. They also are much more easily rinsed away, which will require less water.

6. Ditch the Disposables

With the population increasing and landfill space decreasing, swapping disposables for reusables just makes sense. Check out the packaging of the products you offer your customers; are they designed for single-use, and is there a lot of unnecessary bulk in the way they’re packaged? The answer is probably yes, so what can you do about that?
Well, one idea could be offering microfiber detailing towels instead of single-use, pre-treated ones. This can also provide a great bonus to customers, who can use and reuse that towel whenever and wherever else they want to.

Polishes and cleaners can also be offered in small, recyclable bottles, as opposed to packages that can only be thrown in the trash. Here, again, your customers can take and use the remainder at home, which gives them far more value for their money. You’ll earn extra points if those products are biodegradable.

Other products like air fresheners can also be offered in spray, as opposed to disposable form. They can also be included as part of a concentrated product, such as a car carpet cleaning brush that delivers soap which deodorizes vehicle interiors.

We Make It Easy to Up Your Green Game

If you’re wondering “Where are great car wash supplies near me?” and are ready to make some environmentally conscious moves to green up your car wash business, Superior Car Wash Supply can help. From accessories and air fresheners to wash supplies and vending, we can ensure your customers always walk away happy. Need parts for your car wash? We have those too. You can see all of our great products online or call to learn more: 1-800-554-9274.