Car cleaning at a commercial car wash facility

Midnight Waxers: A Greener Solution to Washing Cars

Rachel Lark - December 26, 2023

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Car washes at home seem like a harmless cleaning activity, but they can have severe environmental impacts. Most people fail to see the byproducts of car washes, like excessive water use, harmful cleaning agents and contaminated water runoff. Midnight Waxers aims to solve these problems by introducing a more eco-friendly way to do car washes and auto detailing at home.

What Car Washes Do to the Environment

Proper maintenance is essential to car ownership for a few reasons. First, a properly maintained car since it’s more reliable. Second, it’s more eco-friendly and third, it’s more economical. Many people don’t see car washes as part of maintenance, but they should be.

Driving a clean car will let you see the road clearly and reach your destination without accidentally bumping into cars. It’s also hygienic which does wonders for your health. In short, no one wants to drive dirty cars but did you know that washing cars impacts the environment? 

Excessive Water Use

Washing your car at home can seem economical at first thought. Many people believe that going the DIY route will save them a lot of money in the long run, but evidence shows otherwise. Washing your car at home with a hose and a bucket can use 80-140 gallons of water per wash.

This is significantly higher than the water consumption of commercial car washes, which can take about 150 liters or 39 gallons of water per vehicle, depending on their operating system. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends using commercial car washes for people who need frequent car washes.

Commercial car washes are more efficient than DIY washes at home because they use specialized equipment like pressurized spray guns to make easy work out of dirty vehicles. Car wash companies also employ highly-trained professionals who can clean cars quickly and thoroughly.

Water Contamination

Most people think water runoff from car washes is harmless, but sadly, that’s far from the truth. Washing cars at home can contaminate water as road film, car oils and car soap can seep into underground water reserves.

This is especially true as many people wash their cars on concrete or asphalt driveways. These pavement materials fail to filter the runoff water from car washes, so the contaminated water gets washed away into storm drains, streams, lakes and natural waterways. Water pollution continues to be a severe environmental issue worldwide, affecting 1.7 billion people who use contaminated water sources for drinking.

Commercial car washes have specialized water catchment and recycling systems to help them reuse water for their operations. Reclaim tanks underneath car wash facilities receive the runoff water and filter it to be reused until it’s finally disposed into the water treatment facilities. U.S. federal law requires commercial car washes to dispose of their wastewater properly to prevent water contamination.

Harmful Cleaning Chemicals

Car soaps and shampoos make cleaning your car quick and easy. They lubricate the surface of your vehicle and emulsify road dirt and grime before being wiped down with a wash towel. However, these cleaning agents often have surface active agents, otherwise known as surfactants.

Surfactants can significantly affect waterways and aquatic life if they reach lakes and streams. Phosphate — a common ingredient in car shampoos — can promote excess algae growth that can use oxygen as they decay, killing fish life in local bodies of water.

Midnight Waxers: Eco-Friendly Car Wash

Commercial car washes appear to be the better choice for keeping your vehicle clean. However, they still consume a considerable amount of water per car wash. This is where waterless car washes come into play.

Midnight Waxers is an auto detailing company with an eye for environmentally sound business practices. They service the South Tampa area in Florida and offer various detailing packages for discerning customers. Here are some of their eco-friendly practices:

Waterless Car Wash

While commercial car washes use less water than DIY washes at home, they still use a lot of water to clean each vehicle. Midnight Waxers use an average of 24-32 ounces of water — around two water bottles — per wash.

This waterless car wash system helps save natural resources while keeping vehicles spic and span and up to car owners’ standards. Waterless car washes are shaping up to be the future of car washes, especially since water is an essential natural resource.

Aside from saving water, Midnight Waxers can clean cars in smaller spaces like indoor garages while minimizing water spray and runoff. Their auto detailing professionals use specialized tools to keep cars looking like new, all in the comfort of their client’s homes.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Agent

You may wonder how they can clean cars with just 32 ounces of water. The secret lies in their unique formulation of carnauba wax and lubricants that help lift dirt off car surfaces and maintain a lustrous shine.

Waterless car wash prevents contaminated runoff from entering the ground and seeping into waterways using just enough water. This is a revolutionary idea in auto detailing as it can do away with harmful chemicals found in conventional car cleaning chemicals that lead to water pollution.

Efficient Car Wash and Detailing

Midnight Waxers use their special formulation to clean and shine car paint, windows, tires, wheels and plastic trims. They use a spray-and-wipe method to clean and dry cars quickly and effectively. Their packages offer great flexibility for clients who want to keep their vehicles clean without the harmful environmental tradeoff.

Midnight Waxers offers different packages like interior and exterior detailing for all car types and sizes. If you own multiple cars and find going to commercial car washes a hassle, they can come straight to your garage and clean your vehicle. That definitely beats manually washing your car, using up gallons of water and buying different cleaning products that are potentially harmful to the environment.

Clean Cars, Clean Waters

It takes only a little research to get acquainted with car washes and their effects on the environment. Waterless car wash systems can help you save time and money in the long run. It offers eco-friendly solutions to water problems many people didn’t realize existed.

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About the author

Rachel Lark

Rachel serves as the Assistant Editor of Environment.co. A true foodie and activist at heart, she loves covering topics ranging from veganism to off grid living.