I agree with most of everything except the detergents, laundry or dishwashing liguid. These will eventually strip away waxes and clearcoats from the car leaving the actual paint to fade and oxidize over time. If one must try household soaps, you can use Castille soap. It should be mild enough that it would not harm the car's finish and still clean a car. This is a soap can be found at Trader Joe's, Wholefoods, Fresh & Easy, it's a multi-purpose soap.

Lots of new car soaps are biodegradable now as well as waxes, the list is endless. The waterless carwashes are available but will require a car to be washed first the common way and then maintain a car clean at least twice a month. Lots of dirty towels though.

Today most carwash businesses filter and recyle their water and of course drain it properly to have it treated. These places are probably the most efficient in terms of number of cars being washed.

I usually wash my cars about ever other month and maintain them extremely clean between that time. I wash in the shade, after 5 PM and conserve as much as I can by using nozzles and misting systems.

I'm willing to try new things. Is this easy car soap formula safe enough to keep my cars shiny? I have used your previous cleaning tips for the house and have been pleased with the results. My arm ready for twisting, talk to me Kim. I'm ready to listen. 

Thanks for your thorough comments and especially your concern about using household detergents on cars. The type of recipe I give here is common whenever you look at "green" sources for car washing. However, when you look at car-focused sources, there are often warnings about using household detergents on cars. This is still a heated subject, lovingly called "The Great Dawn Debate" And one point here is that they are warning against conventional, chemical-filled detergents and not specifically against green ones.

From my research, it is the high pH in detergents that causes the damage to the paint. Greener detergents, like Ecos Free and Clear Laundry Detergent, tend to have a neutral pH, making them more suitable for this job. Because dish detergents are designed to cut grease they do a good job degreasing your car, but that may also mean they get rid of your protective wax. 

We agree that there is nothing ideal about washing your car at home and it's always a better idea to take it to a professional. If you need to occasionally wash it at home, you may want to follow it up with a professional wash and wax. Along with detergents, washing at home may involve the wrong brush or a rough rag (or one that has fallen on the ground) that could scratch the surface of the car.

I like your suggestion to use castile soap instead of the detergents as a safe alternative if you aren't comfortable with using detergents.  

Thanks Kim, kudos on your research. I will give it a try and let you know the results. It may be a while but I will try it. I will mix up a batch and bottle it up in a sprayer bottle. I usually don't use a bucket to wash my cars. I use a good quality sprayer bottle and squirt on the car wash soap on the car, hood, top, trunk and doors. This allows me to rinse the car, wash it and rinse again, keeping water use to a minimum. No buckets, just like a car wash business. Study their method next time you take your car in.

Once again, thanks for ALL the tips.

In the U.S., after the first public parking garage for motor vehicles was opened in Boston, May 24, 1898, livery stables in urban centers began to be converted into garages. In cities of the Eastern US, many former livery stables, with lifts for carriages, continue to operate as garages today.

John

Liverpool Airport Parking

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John

Many of us know by now that front-loading washing machines clean clothes more thoroughly, cause less wear and use less water and energy than a majority of their top-loading counterparts. Machines that bear the Energy Star logo typically use between 68 and 95 litres per load, roughly half of the 150-plus litres guzzled by older, top-loading machines.

"http://www.seguroahora.com/insurance.html

Giving your car a car wash is at times good but frequent visits means that a lot of water is being wasted. If you really really care for your car then get a long term car insurance for your car.

This way you can get a better deal on car insurance rates and also ensure that in the years to come as a car owner you will have less worries in insurance claims and settlements for your vehicle.

Jeff,

Washing a car at home means not only getting yourself involved in cleaning of all the dirt on the outter parts of the car but also inside the car's cabin. Its not an easy thing to do if you really want to clean every corner of the car's cabin. So it makes a lot of sense to send the car to a good car washing station.

For car owners and especially used car owner you would be interested in information about used car warranties, because we all love to take care of our cars which happen to be amongst our most priced possessions.

Kelly.