There are several ways to clean a car:
- Supermarkets, fuel retailers who offer certified, automatic car washes: with properly maintained machinery, with the right chemical cleaners and the correct dosage. Such machines are designed to maximise the cleaning effect to your vehicle whilst disposing of the dirty water, effluent and chemical in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
- At home: Typically washing your car at home can use up to 130 litres of water through using a bucket, sponge and a hose pipe. The dirty water is not treated so therefore it is likely the chemicals will run into the local water course via the surface water drainage system with the resultant impact upon the environment. It is important to clean your car using chemicals, preferably manufacturers for the specific task as alternatives such as household washing up liquid can damage paintwork.
- Unregulated hand car wash operations: Not all hand wash operations are illegal or offer a substandard offer, however it is illegal to dispose of dirty vehicle wash water and chemical effluent into the surface water drainage network. Typically some unregulated hand wash operations work in areas not specifically designed to trap and treat wash water such as car parks and road side locations and are effectively illegal through their contravention of planning authority guidelines.