So I now drive a lime yellow Subaru, I could have sworn it was white last week, hmmmm? But before I actually clean it myself I remembered my brother-in-law’s little speech about how car washes are much better for the environment (some background, he owns several car washes and my sister works for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation). Here are the facts folks, put down the buckets and sponges and head out to your local car wash. The average home car wash uses more than 500 gallons of water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  To put it into perspective, it takes about 25 gallons of water for a 5-minute shower. Then the untreated wastewater will run off straight into storm drains and eventually into rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands, where it can degrade the water quality and poison aquatic life. A commercial car wash, on the other hand, uses around 32 gallons of water per car. Commercial car washes are required by the 1972 Clean Water Act to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, where it gets treated before it’s flushed back into the environment. Plus, many commercial car washes recycle and reuse their rinse water, which will send the water blasting through a system of high-pressure nozzles and pumps to minimize water use.

(Workin’ at the) car wash.
Workin’ at the car wash yeah !
Come on and sing it with me car wash.
Get with the feelin’ y’all car wash yeah.

Rose Royce, Car Wash