How to Wash Your Car & Still Conserve Water during a Summer Drought

By Maureen Condon

It certainly looks like we are in for some very hot, dry summer weather nationwide. That can mean restrictions on outdoor water usage and usually the first thing you need to forego is washing your car.

However, regular car washes are important to maintaining your car’s exterior and its value for resale. Bugs, pollen, pollution and even rainwater can damage its finish and need to be periodically washed away.

If you are careful, and willing to take the road less travelled, you can wash your car with a relatively small amount of water – no gushing water hose here!

You start by filling a watering can and a bucket. Have I lost you already? Please take heart, and read on.

Using a watering can reduces your water consumption by two to three times the amount you’d use with a garden hose.

Here’s how to go at it:

1. Wash your car on a lawn, being careful to prevent run-off onto hard surfaces such as driveways or roads. This has the added value of watering the lawn too.

2. Caution! Be sure you are not parking your car on top of the section of lawn where your gas or water utilities are piped in. If you disturb those pipes by driving over them (even with the lawn and dirt in between) you could have really big problems! If you don’t know where your pipes are, it’s better to wash your car in the driveway.

3. Early mornings or evenings are the best times for car washing – just find a shady spot.

4. Wash your car one section at a time.

5. Start by removing loose dirt with water from the watering can.

6. Follow this with a thorough hand wash using a clean sponge or wash mitt and any car wash solution.

7. Pour the car wash solution it into a clean, large bucket and add water.

8. Wash the car, section by section. Start washing your car from the top and gradually work your way down the sides.

9. Rinse your sponge regularly in the bucket to remove collected dirt or grime.

10. It is important to rinse off the car before the car wash starts to dry.

11. You can rinse the roof using a watering can with the nozzle removed, which will help disperse the suds.

12. For the rest of the body, use the watering can with the nozzle on, again starting from the top and working down.

13. When the car is thoroughly rinsed, wipe it down with a chamois cloth.

Of course, if you want to save even more water, you could just wash the areas of your car that have dirt on them, and save a more thorough washing for when the water restrictions are lifted.