Is hand washing better for my vehicle?

Studies have shown that machine car washing is a much better alternative than hand washing, since automated washes are more consistent and safer for your vehicles paint work. Hand washing was once believed to be a better and environmentally safer washing method, but industry studies have shown that modern machine washing is actually more consistent, thorough and less abrasive.

Garden hoses and buckets normally can’t produce the proper volume of water needed, which can damage the car’s finish. Dirt and other debris and particles can mix with the water in the buckets and scratch your car’s paint. Sponges are a major culprit in damaging your vehicles paint as well since dirt and sand particles find their way into tiny holes of its porous body and usually stay there even when you repeatedly wash and rinse the sponge. Towels can be even rougher than sponges when it comes to retaining unwanted debris. Only a professional car wash can provide the proper amounts of water and pressure needed along with the appropriate soaps, waxes and cleaning materials to safely and effectively clean your vehicle.

From an environmental standpoint, hand washing in your driveway can have serious consequences. Since storm drains are not a part of the waste-water system, materials emptied into them do not go to waste-water treatment facilities. This is a major cause of pollution in our rivers, lakes, streams and ground water supplies. Driveway car washing not only introduces chemicals from soaps and detergents into the water system, it also loosens toxic particles that have accumulated on your car, such as lead, phosphates, motor oil, asphalt, and antifreeze and releases them directly into our streams and lakes.

At EZ Kleen Car Wash, we use only biodegradable wash solutions. We safely collect the used cleaning solutions and make sure the water is filtered, treated and recycled. This helps save the environment and our precious water supply. If you wash your car at home, you don’t have these environmental safeguards. The chemicals you use seep into the ground water supply and natural waterways.

Our computer controlled water management system uses an average of 25-35 gallons of fresh water for each wash, in addition to the 75 gallons of recycled water. Compare this to the 100-150 gallons of water used when washing a car by hand.