Going Green?

[DogParkGuy]

Has anyone looked at products that are more friendly to the environment? We should remember that all the product we wash off a car goes on the ground and down the drain.

I have looked at (but not purchased) environmentally-friendly wheel cleaners and car wash. Anyone else?

What about Meguiar's? Are your products going green?

[BlueZero]

Re: Going Green?

I try to do what I can. I use ONR to wash 99% of the time. I wash my entire Jeep with only 3 gallons of water. I really really wish Meguiar's would come out with a product like ONR!

[DaGonz]

Re: Going Green?

Has anyone looked at products that are more friendly to the environment? We should remember that all the product we wash off a car goes on the ground and down the drain.

I have looked at (but not purchased) environmentally-friendly wheel cleaners and car wash. Anyone else?

What about Meguiar's? Are your products going green?

I am more worried about the oil, gasoline and coolant leaking from cars and trucks than the residue from car wash soaps.

[EAT HEMI]

Re: Going Green?

I at least drain to the yard and let the soil bacteria eat some of it. Luckily the location in my driveway where I wash naturally slopes toward the yard and not to the gutter.

It is more about wastewater volume than hazardous components.

Regardless, use as little product and water as possible... except high endurance.... cause it smells good!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Going Green?

Has anyone looked at products that are more friendly to the environment? We should remember that all the product we wash off a car goes on the ground and down the drain.

I have looked at (but not purchased) environmentally-friendly wheel cleaners and car wash. Anyone else?

What about Meguiar's? Are your products going green?

Just keep in mind that there are limits to what a company can do to go green... for example our car washes are biodegradable, but the road grime you wash off your car with our biodegradable car wash might not be.

Who do you hold accountable for not making road grime green?

(The answer is "us", that is those of us that drive and add car pollution to the environment in which we're driving)

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Going Green?

Just keep in mind that there are limits to what a company can do to go green... for example our car washes are biodegradable, but the road grime you wash off your car with our biodegradable car wash might not be.

Well wasn't the grime in the environment before, or how else did it get all over your car?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Going Green?

Well wasn't the grime in the environment before, or how else did it get all over your car?

In Oregon, after you drive down the I-5 Freeway in the rain, you car will have Road Grime on the paint that is the oil from engines, transmissions etc, that leak out onto the highway, mix with the dirt and water and deposit onto your car if you're following someone and their spray is flying into the air landing on your car.

If you've ever lived in a rainy state like Oregon or Washington you'll know what I mean and you'll know there's nothing you can do to prevent it except don't drive.

This kind of road grime is from a combination of nature and man. That's what I meant in my answer.

Does that explain it?

That's just one example that we could think of off the top of our head... (road grime).


Point being is we can do our best to make our products as safe and environmentally safe as possible as well as comply with all the government laws, rules and regulations, (which we do), but this isn't going to solve all the problems brought up in discussions like this on Going Green, etc.

[DogParkGuy]

Re: Going Green?

Thanks for all the responses. My first thought was about detailing engines where we may end up washing petroleum products off the engine onto the ground. Are there practical methods for cleaning up oil and grease from engines? (This is a rhetorical question just for thought.) I agree with Mike and others that using less water and less product is the first step.

[Derrick]

Re: Going Green?

Thanks for all the responses. My first thought was about detailing engines where we may end up washing petroleum products off the engine onto the ground. Are there practical methods for cleaning up oil and grease from engines? (This is a rhetorical question just for thought.) I agree with Mike and others that using less water and less product is the first step.

Well you could clean the engine bay by hand using super degreaser and disposable rags to avoid from getting all the runoff and grease on the ground but then you can get into waisting trees or use regular rags but then im sure your washing machine wont last to long

[97 Supra]

Re: Going Green?

If you want to be green about de-greasing your engine bay:


You will need:

A.) Factory service manual
B.) Parts washer
C.) Parts washer solvent
D.) $39.99 box of biodegradable dolphin safe gloves
E.) Specialty tools from the OE manufacturer
F.) Roughly 1 week of your time
G.) $89.99 for small 12 gallon parts washer flow rate of 10gph
H.) (2) 5 Gallon containers of parts washer $98.95 each
I.) Scrub brush adapter for parts washer $13.99
J.) Work bench (Make your own)
K.) Mechanics tool set: Basic from sears $459.00 on sale
L.) About a week of your time
M.) Full engine gasket set $129.00 ebay special
N.) 3 separate containers for catching automotive fluids, wouldn't want to mix oil and coolant. $19.99 each walmart special
O.) 1 Super duty sized zip lock storage bag $5.99 ... they do make them trust me.

You will need to do:

1.) Purchase factory service manual.
2.) Park vehicle on top of a large tarp.
3.) Put on your dolphin safe biodegradable gloves.
4.) Work only on top of the tarp.
4a.) Drain all fluids into separate containers, and recycle them at your local pep-boys or other automotive service shop / dealer.
5.) Remove entire engine, piece by piece, using your Sears polished tool set and place them on the tarp next to the vehicle.
6.) Once entire engine is out of the engine bay, put that new shiny parts washer to use.
7.) Place all the fresh new parts on your work bench.
8.) Sort out your new engine gasket kit.
9.) Put cleaned engine parts back together until engine is spotless and fresh.
10.) Replace fluids, with fresh fluids, don't spill any - thats what funnels are for.
11.) Pull the vehicle off the tarp, and into driveway.
12.) Wrap dolphin safe work gloves, and tarp up in super duty sized ziplock storage bag, they do make them believe me.
13.) Call your local poison control center and ask them where to nearest hazmat disposal drop off location would be. give them your zip lock bag full of road grime, and go home.

You are done.


So with about 1 week, 112 man hours, 1 engine rebuild and $800.00 later - you completely degreased your engine with out so much as getting a speck of dust on the ground, or into the sewer grate outside your humble abode.


Sound good to you?


- Brett

[DogParkGuy]

Re: Going Green?

Or you could just use some absorbent material under the engine compartment to catch and absorb most of the runoff.

[Kevin Brown]

Re: Going Green?

And the remnants of our eco-friendly efforts get blasted into outer space?

RANT AHEAD...

I see no way around first removing the unwanted mess and then disposing of it somehow (or somewhere).

In the 1970's, I remember VIVIDLY how BAD it was for man to chop down trees simply to make paper bags (Which we used to carry our pesticide-laden groceries home from our capitalist stores).

So, a HUGE effort was forced upon us mean people to switch to PLASTIC bags, because we would save trees, the inks wouldn't wash into the ground at the landfills, and the plastic would essentially be non-invasive.

Now that we've completely accepted plastic as the 'responsible' method for carrying groceries, the plastic bag is an evil product because it does NOT easily decompose, it floats in water, which sometimes end up being eaten by living creatures. That part is sad.

The next thing around the bend is heavy-duty recycled plastic and/or paper carrying bags, or perhaps the reusable cloth carry bags- Which most of the time seem to be made in China. Unfortunately, they're half way around the world from the pollution machine (aka USA).

SO!- The bags must be made with what is either similar to, borders on, or what actually IS slave labor, in factories that pollute 1000 times more than ours do, which happen to send their pollution into the air, onto the ground, and into the water. THEN!- It all gets transported to the loading docks in non-eco friendly trucks, shipped half way around the world in a diesel-burning ship (which happens to DUMP most of the man-made waste into the ocean), and then finally re-shipped to its destination here.

Now- DOES THAT SOUND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TO YOU?

[Kevin Brown]

Re: Going Green?

For Sale:

1970's era CHILDREN'S WINTER PARKA.

Guaranteed to keep you warm and dry in below freezing temperatures.

If memory serves me well, it was purchased through my elementary school with funds derived from our bi-annual newspaper-drive. Scientists at that time had PROVEN that, due to our polluting ways, mankind doomed itself into a winter wonderland.

As a responsible society, we must protect the children, right?

THE ICE AGE IS COMING! THE ICE AGE IS COMING!

[Kevin Brown]

Re: Going Green?

I have a friend that is in the trucking business.
Primiarily, he works in hauling and oil-field related stuff.
He deals with hazardous waste clean-up, crude-oil spills, etc.

He buys several products from this company:

http://www.newpig.com/en_US/main.jhtml

Their products are diverse, and are available in flat-panel form (like a giant paper towel), or in tube-form (like a sausage-link).
Some are designed to remove oil while letting water pass through, some designed for anti-freeze, some pick up all liquids.

They work great.
For example- You could use the tubes, strategically placed on the cement. As you're cleaning an engine bay, undercarriage (or other hazardous area) of a vehicle, the residue hits the ground, & floats onto/into the tubes. As the waste comes into contact with the tube, it traps the hazardous stuff, while letting the water pass through. I have used these before.
Or, you may opt for the tubes that catch oil & water... Leaving the area completely free of fluids.

Then, deliver the tubes to an appropriate hazardous waste area of your local dump.
Errr, I mean, Environmental Waste Facility.
Use a fuel-powered vehicle, human-powered bicycle...
Or even implement a 'human-chain' delivery system!

[kellyinkc]

Re: Going Green?

Rant on Kevin! I do not buy the GW theory. I remember a Ice Age was coming not long ago. That does not mean I advocate dumping used motor oil down the sewer, I recycle it. It is just that the weather prophets can't get a 7 day forecast right yet the computer models for GW for the next 100 years are right?????

Kelly