News and press releases

02Jun
2022

At home by hand or at the car wash; what's better for the environment?

At home by hand or at the car wash; what's better for the environment?

It's a wonderful feeling when you have a shiny car parked in front of your door. But, have you ever wondered what impact washing your car has on the environment? 
 


There is a difference between washing your car at home and washing your car at the car wash. You wash your car, of course, because it is dirty. The dirt that comes off the car consists mainly of (brake) dust, rubber particles or oil residue. To make your car clean and shiny again, you use agents that often contain chemicals. In short, a list of materials that are not good for the environment. 

Washing at home

If this is your Saturday morning hobby, we are sorry to disappoint you: washing your car at home is not recommended. With eco-friendly cleaning agents, the impact on the environment is of course less, but during the final rinse all the dirt from the car flows into the sewers and the groundwater. What's more, when washing your car at home, you often use more water than is needed. Some municipalities or neighbourhoods even prohibit washing your car on the street. Especially in newer neighbourhoods, because here the drainage flows directly into the ditches and unfiltered into the natural environment.

Car wash 

Our customer Loogman Carwash has the Certified Sustainable Plus certificate, so if you have your car washed there, you know that it is done in the most sustainable way. Brian Yzebaart of the Loogman Group explains what they do to ensure that your car comes out of the car wash clean but also as 'green' as possible. 

“We don't use hot water, but just cold water when washing, because that way we use less energy. In combination with our biodegradable products, the car becomes just as clean. The present dosing systems also ensure that a small car is soaped with less shampoo than a large car, so no unnecessary product waste. After washing, 95% of the used water is collected and purified so that we can reuse the water.

All the dirt from your car, such as oil and petrol residue, is collected and removed by a certified company. The liquid-tight floors also prevent contaminated liquids from entering the soil or groundwater. And finally, we use smart technology: the car wash equipment really only turns on when a car passes the sensors. We have also applied this to the lighting in our areas where people are not continuously present. So we also use energy sparingly.”

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