Saving Water When Washing Your Car

Here in Central Florida, we are currently under a "Level 4" watering ban which bans people from home car washing. A fine can be imposed, as a backyard car wash job can easily use from 3-5 gallons of water. We cleaned our 2006 Honda Accord using approx. 3/4 of a gallon of water, two old soft bath towels, and maybe 45 minutes of our time.

First, we cleaned out the 2 1/2 gallon garden sprayer. Then poured in 1 pint white vinegar. Next, we added 1 gallon clean tap water. Mixed everything and we were ready to go! The trick is spray a small area at a time, and after one of us wiped in circular motions, the other followed with the other towel to absorb all the moisture remaining.

We cleaned from top to bottom, well actually, as I am 5 feet tall, my husband did the entire roof! But, we cleaned windows and the whole car body. I contemplated adding a squirt of dish washing liquid to make the solution "wetter" but chose not too as I didn't know if it would require more rinsing. The plain white vinegar and water solution worked beautifully.

We did not do the wheels and tires but perhaps we will include them next time. We did not use all the solution we had made. We did not "hose off" the car with either water before using our thrifty solution nor over wet each small area as we worked. By the way, our car had a hefty accumulation of road stuff on it as it had been about a month since it had been to the car wash in town. Happy thrifty car washing!

By Lynda from Thonotosassa, FL