Can you really wash your car without water?

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Photo / Supplied

Photo / Supplied

Saving time and water when cleaning your car may seem like a paradox, but nowadays you can.

The traditional “hosing down” method can take up to 100 litres of water if you’re not careful. The less water that goes down the drain, the better for your pocket and the easier it is for nature to digest your actions: i.e. degrade the dirt.

Common sense still applies. If you’ve been off-roading and your vehicle has got 2cm of mud stuck right up to the windows, it will need a good hosing down with water first.

But most of us don't get to that stage and therefore can take advantage of the new methods of cleaning.

These time and water-saving methods have been around for some years, but are often still viewed with scepticism; we’ve been programmed to use lots of water when washing a car, a process that is long, drawn out and messy.

For just a bit of city and highway dust, you can clean your car in about the same time as it takes to fill up with petrol. This is where so-called “waterless” products come in.

The key is a good, clean, microfibre towel and your favourite spray-on product. Three or four squirts per panel and wipe away with the towel, then repeat per panel. Work from top to bottom, just like you wash yourself. In a little over five minutes, bingo: a clean car.

These waterless products bring back the shine at the same time. Most will leave the car with a beautifully smooth feel, but it does depend on the condition of the paint to start with.

For those of us not quite that adventurous, or if there is more on the car than just road dust, there are also ‘no rinse’ products. Again, the key is a good microfibre towel, but this time also a microfibre noodle mitt.

These products require a little bit more water, because you put them (as per label instructions) into a bucket of water. Ideally the bucket should have some form of “grit guard” at the bottom to trap the dirt, so when you rinse the mitt you avoid picking up any grit from the previous rinse.

Again, work in sections but you can often do a whole side before drying the area, and then repeat. Start at the top and work down.

This method takes about 10 minutes. All you have really used on the car is 2-3 litres of water; most of it ends up in the towel and the rest should go through the laundry sink (not the stormwater drain, please). All these products are biodegradable, but the less that goes directly into the environment, the less pressure we put on it to break it all down.

Finally, do not wash your car when the panels are too hot to touch, or in strong sunlight, and always dry the car as per instructions. The best time is in the morning, when the car is still wet with morning dew or for those of us who have a garage, bring it out when it’s raining and let that soften the dust and dirt before finishing it off after.

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