Whether it be the rapidly increasing gas prices or a growing desire to shift your lifestyle to a more environmentally friendly one, how you care for your car can have a big impact. As a car owner, there are a number of little things you can do to reduce chemical runoff, conserve resources and improve fuel efficiency.
This article discusses several ways to become more eco-friendly when it comes to caring for your car.
Washing Your Car
How and where you wash your car is one major opportunity to adopt an eco-friendlier approach. When you wash your car at home, soap runoff and other chemicals can runoff into your local storm drains. This can be avoided a couple ways.
One way is to switch your home cleaning product regiment to one that’s greener. There are special cleaning formulas on the market pH-balanced, plant-based or biodegradable. Going with water-less products is another way to save your drains from runoff. You can buy washing, waxing and ceramic coating products that don’t require any water to be effective.
The best strategy for avoiding pollution of your property and drains is to take your vehicle to a professional auto detailer or car wash. These businesses are required to treat and recycle all of the water and runoff as a result of cleaning numerous cars, which saves the local storm drains.
When cleaning your car at home, another eco-friendly strategy is to ditch the disposable cleaning equipment like paper towel and wipes. Instead, use a micro-fiber cloth. These clothes are not only washable but superior for cleaning. They hold cleaning products well, require hardly any water, and can be washed hundreds of times.
Stay on Top of Vehicle Maintenance
Staying on top of regular vehicle maintenance is another way to adopt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Gas-powered vehicles rely on oil and oil filters. When either the oil or the filters become dirty, the car is no longer burning clean, which results in more harmful pollution. By regularly taking your car in for an oil and filter change, you can ensure your vehicle is burning as clean as possible. The type of oil used is important too. Using the wrong engine oil could result in unnecessary engine friction and toxic exhaust.
If you want to save a few bucks and handle the oil change yourself, keep in mind that dirty oil is one of the most harmful toxins for the environment. Proper disposal is critical. First let the oil cool, then store it in a clean, leak-proof container and drop it off for recycling at a service garage or designated recycling depot for hazardous waste.
Another small thing you can do pretty easily from home or a nearby gas station is regularly check the air pressure in your tires. Without proper air pressure, fuel-efficiency trends in the wrong direction. Tires are easy to top up – just refer to your manufacturer’s recommendation for how many pounds per square inch (PSI) in each tire.
Watch Your Driving Behaviour
How you drive is another facet to environmentally friendly vehicle ownership. It all boils down to fuel-efficiency. The more efficiently you drive, the less gas you’ll require and the less exhaust you’ll emit into the atmosphere.
There are a number of ways to control the fuel-efficiency of your car – all of which are fully within your control as the driver.
First, know that idling is awful for fuel efficiency. Not only are you achieving zero distance traveled when idling, the vehicle still burns fuel and emits exhaust. That’s why many new vehicles have built-in features that cut the engine when the vehicle stops, before starting it back up once a foot is taken off the brake. If your car doesn’t have these features, it’s unsafe to cut the engine when you’re in traffic. But if you’re ever pulled over, off the road or in a parking lot, cut the engine off if you expect to idle more than 10 seconds or so.
Next, consider the cargo you’re carrying around in your vehicle. Weight drags your vehicle down and your fuel efficiency along with it. Instead of using your vehicle as a storage locker, leave what you can at home in order to keep your payload as light as possible.
The way in which you drive plays a big part in fuel efficiency as well. Aggressive drivers who stop and start abruptly, screech their tires upon acceleration and burn by others on the highway are the same ones making frequent stops at the pump. Driving calmly and smoothly is the best way to boost your fuel efficiency.
At Mill Bay Auto Spa, we’re proud to use eco-friendly cleaning products and manage water runoff responsibly. View our complete list of interior and exterior detailing services and request a service at a time that fits your schedule.