The average home washing machine uses 41 gallons of water per load! Washing your car at home can take as much as 140 gallons. Wash N’ Go Depot uses no more than 40 gallons of fresh water per car. 70% of that water is recycled and the rest is returned to the environment cleanly.
Many people don’t know that washing vehicles at home causes harm to local waterways. Water entering storm drains, unlike water that enters sanitary sewers, does not undergo treatment before it is discharged. So, when cars are washed on streets, parking lots and driveways, that dirty water eventually winds up in rivers, streams and lakes. Washing one car may not seem to be a problem, but collectively, car-washing activity adds up to big problems for our waterways and aquatic life.
A study by the City of Federal Way, WA found that residential car washing led to the following being released into their storm sewer system:
190 gallons of gasoline, diesel and motor oil
400 pounds of phosphorus and nitrogen
60 pounds of ammonia
2,200 pounds of surfactants
3,000 pounds of solids
This is the total annual release for a community with 62,000 passenger cars and trucks. With more than 300 million registered passenger vehicles in North America, the enormity of the pollution problem becomes obvious. We want to prevent this kind of contamination from happening in Southern Oregon. Wash N’ Go Depot filters used water before it goes to the local water treatment facility and ultimately streams and rivers. We also use biodegradable detergent, soap and polish so we can be sure our environment stays pristine.
