Driveway or Car Wash Which One is Drought Friendly

Washing your car in the driveway may seem like it saves you a few bucks, but the untreated water can also run straight into storm drains and eventually into rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands.

This may shock you, it did me, but the average home car wash uses more than 500 gallons of water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To give you some perspective it takes about 25 gallons for a ten-minute shower!

Commercial car washes use approximately 32 gallons of water per car, according to the International Car Wash Association.

They're also required to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, where it gets treated before it's flushed back into the environment.

There are few things you can do if you are in the midst of a pocketbook crunch at the moment and can't afford to take your car to the car wash.  Please keep in mind we are in the middle of a drought.

• You use less water if you use several small rinses instead of one large one and turn off the water in between rinses
• Park your car in the shade so it doesn't dry too quickly and leave spots that you will want to re-rinse
• Use a bucket for your soap, and try an eco-friendly brand. There are bunch out there. This will minimize your runoff impact

There are a lot of car washes that offer deals if you go midweek. Maybe try that a few times. Who knows you may like watching your car go past those jumbo wash brushes. It's kind of cool. Or you can be like me, I haven't washed my car in over a month.