My area of Virginia is currently experiencing mandatory water use restrictions; no watering the lawn and no traditional car washing. So would it be best to use a detailing spray or is there a better interim technique?

 

See if you can find a touchless drive through car wash. Some car washes may not have restrictions. I wouldn't use detailing spray unless I had washed the car of loose dirt and impediments. Wiping off a detailing spray w/o washing is a quick step to swirl marks.

I live in North Alabama and we are in what the USDA describes as an 'exceptional' drought, about the worst area of the country. On the plus side, as I still have my old CR-V, My new MC has yet to have been driven in rain since it arrived in April, of course, its only rained about 5 times since then, which for this area is indeed historic drought.

 

This thread should really be in the Detailing 101 forum.

Lots of answers there.

You wouldn't even be allowed to use two buckets of water???? Car washing doesn't have to involve having a hose running incessantly. Check out Detailing 101.

 

We haven't been allowed to wash our cars since June. I take the cars to a touchless wash when I can but have generally had to neglect them this summer.

Sad, so sad. . .

 

Here's a good solution. Used to be recommended a lot on the detailing forums like autopia a couple of years ago. I use it in the winter so I can wash in the garage.

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/p...D=1545:src=FPC

 

Find a hand wash detail shop and take your own wash mitts.

 

+1 BTDT in previous years

 

Griott's Garage has a terrific product called Speed Shine that might tide you over for the time being.

 

Thanks to all of you for the solutions.

Phil

 

Phil-

Is there any way to capture the water from your clothes washer when it is emptying from the rinse cycle? Most washers have a hose that just inserts into a drain in the wall, and that hose is often attached with a garden hose-type fitting. I'm wondering if you could pipe that outflow into buckets and re-use that water to loosen the crud on your car. Don't see how anybody could get mad at you for not conserving water since you're recycling it!

When I was building my house, I moved my washer and dryer into a detached garage (so I could still use them), and always directed the output from the wash to a useful location in the yard instead of just sending it down the sewer. The yard never looked better, although you might want to be careful about what kind of soap you used

Hope this helps. Can't have a dirty MINI

 

California Car Duster and Speed Shine from Griot's garage. I'm no tree hugger but it's a lot easier than washing it all the time. We've been on a water alert almost rationing all spring summer fall. Works fine, less work, no water, end of story.
When I first got the car I washed it and put on Detailer's Paradise EPIC synthetic wax. Car sparkles, I have more time to drive.
Yeah, this belongs in the detailing forum.

 

Hey guys, come to Iowa. We're in the middle of the monsoons. Just leave your car outside with some soap on it and the wind and rain will wash it right up.

 

When I first read this I was thinking to myself this guy and lost his mind... but by the end of your post I thought "What a great idea!".

Question now: Will the soap used to wash your clothing strip wax?

I'm actully considering do this as we are under a total outdoor watering ban. My washer/dryer/mud room is next to my garage so it would be very easy to setup a 50 gallon drum in the garage to capture this water. Taking it a step further... maybe I could fit the drum with a back flow sensor which only allowed water to the drum if there was available space! When full the water would go down it's normal drain. Almost a set it and forget it approach.

 

What a unique idea. Not sure if I can make it happen though. I'll check when I get home.

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what is wrong with brushless car washes?

 

First, Yes, I HAVE lost my mind I do miss it from time to time

To capture large amounts of the water from your clothes RINSE cycle (not the wash cycle) will take a bit of work on your part, and some ingenuity.

To get all MacGuyver about it, you'd start with a "Y" valve somewhere close to your washer so that could choose to route the used water either to the sewer line as it is now (suggest this for the soapy cycle) and then after that cycle was done, switch to your storage container for the rinse water. I don't think I'd like to use dirty wash water on my MINI

For storage, we use a device called a "rain barrel". Designed to catch rain from downspouts and save it for watering the yard during droughts, of all things. No reason you wouldn't use something similar. And these have hose fittings at the bottom to make it easy to attach a garden hose.

I'm guessing that most washers use about 5 gallons of water for each cycle, and if you only captured the rinse water, a 50 gallon barrel would give you 10 loads of laundry. More barrels, more storage.

Anyway, I hope this helps. And that you get a good laugh out of it

BTW, +1 on the California Duster after your car is decrudified.

 

Nothing at all What I'm suggesting is an envionmentally sound way to be able to wash our MINIs more frequently during water restiction conditions, for free, using water that would otherwise have been sent through the sewage treatment system needlessly, without having to leave the driveway. I'm actually a big fan of brushless car washes, and plan to use one this winter when it's too cold to wash Dr. P by hand

 

I think the one in my town recycles the water, but I don't know if they all do.

Have you had any damage done to your car by the brushless car wash?

 

'Have you had any damage done to your car by the brushless car wash?'

Only some very minor scratches to the clear coat. I have seen a few cars bumped when the folks couldn't keep up with the number of cars on the conveyor.

Ours also recycles SOME of the water, and that's great. I suspect that's the norm now. They told me they use the recycled rinse water as the wash water for the next cars going through. Maybe not perfect, but it's sure better than it was a decade ago. And it's great to let somebody else to all the work

 

Amen, Brother!

 

Truth be told it would behoove all of us to explore ways to wash our cars 1) w/o sacrificing quality while 2) using water wisely. Many parts of the country are in and out of watering restrictions and it doesn't hurt to have a workable backup plan. That said, I think many MINI owners take a more engaged, thoughtful, and intentional approach to car washing so you're probably well on the road to doing this anyway.

 

I just got some QEW....going to try it this weekend. NoVA restrictions stink....watching the landscapers dump water from the hydrant while my lawn whithers away :(