So I bought a car with a smaller environmental footprint last month: the Toyota Camry. Wonderful car. Today, being a beautiful summer day, I figured it was time for its first wash and wax. I was just finishing three hours of detailing when I realized I had just used at least five toxic car cleaning products on my car! Oh! It kills me! Car wash, wax, tire cleaner, dash cleaner and window cleaner...all really noxious stuff. The car looks fabulous, but now I'm racked with guilt.
Has anybody had good luck with a more environmentally friendly wax? I can figure out the window cleaner and soap, but the wax, tire cleaner and dash cleaner I could use some help with.
I clean the dash with water, dry and then spritz a tiny amount of 303 on it to protect it from the sun. Works great on plastic, rubber and vinyl. Don't know how "friendly" 303 is, but a pint container lasts me over 5 years.
Most of the stuff's perfectly fine as long as you don't dump the excess into your rain gutters/sidewalk when you're done. What products were you using, exactly?
Interior-wise, I try to keep my use of the chemicals down mostly because I'm an allergy sufferer and strong scents can wreck havoc with me... that and most cleaners/conditioners when exposed to sun/heat such as inside a car release various chemicals/compounds (the "Armor-All 'fog' one gets on a windshield, for example, after treating a dash -- I don't use that, btw... used to years ago, though.)
Remember: a hybrid is still a vehicle. It still burns gas, requires oil and coolant and such. It's green, but it's not growing naturally in the wild. I commend you on searching for more environmentally friendly car care options, though. Perhaps there's a market niche to be filled (if it hasn't already been) -- green car care products for green cars.
While it is important for one to do their part, the majority of your guilt should be in the amount of resources required to produce your car and operate it on a daily basis. Failing that, you could just be as lazy as we are about cleaning our vehicles. It's pretty much guaranteed here in Oregon that as soon as you wash your car, it will rain the next day.
So I've realized my faux pas isn't enough to make me jump off a bridge or anything. The Rain Dance car wash stuff is mostly soap (phosphate free), the amount of Turtle Wax car wax is very small, I used one Armorall wipe, and the Windex is relatively benign. The F21 foamy tire cleaner is pretty nasty, however. Best plan is to use all the stuff over the next year or so as opposed to tossing unused chemicals into a landfill, and I'll eventually replace with greener products.
I live in Tacoma, so I'm typically pretty lackadaisical about washing cars.
1-cup natural, chlorine-free, phosphate-free, non-petroleum based liquid dishwashing detergent
3/4 cup natural, chlorine-free, phosphate-free, non-petroleum based powdered laundry detergent
3 gallons water
1) Mix in a bottle; 2) To use, combine 1/2 cup of the concentrate with the water. If a stronger solution is desired, slightly reduce the amount of water.
Car Wax:
To avoid over drying, wax your car one section at a time.
½ cup melted ceresin wax
2 tbsp. melted yellow beeswax
2 cups turpentine
1 tbsp. pine oil
1) In a double boiler, heat the ceresin wax and beeswax. Stir, and then allow to cool until the mixture starts to harden. Stir in the turpentine and pine oil.
2) To use, apply with a rag; polish with a soft cloth.
[...] more environmentally friendly car care options, though. Perhaps there's a market niche to be filled (if it hasn't already been) -- green car care products for green cars.
Yes, I'm quoting myself. I couldn't remember the URL earlier:
I clean the dash with water, dry and then spritz a tiny amount of 303 on it to protect it from the sun. Works great on plastic, rubber and vinyl. Don't know how "friendly" 303 is, but a pint container lasts me over 5 years.
LOL, spritz for the car window, spritz for your mouth, spritz for the car window, spritz for your mouth. (Uh, the diet drink, not the 303.)
Most of the stuff's perfectly fine as long as you don't dump the excess into your rain gutters/sidewalk when you're done. What products were you using, exactly?
Interior-wise, I try to keep my use of the chemicals down mostly because I'm an allergy sufferer and strong scents can wreck havoc with me... that and most cleaners/conditioners when exposed to sun/heat such as inside a car release various chemicals/compounds (the "Armor-All 'fog' one gets on a windshield, for example, after treating a dash -- I don't use that, btw... used to years ago, though.)
Remember: a hybrid is still a vehicle. It still burns gas, requires oil and coolant and such. It's green, but it's not growing naturally in the wild. I commend you on searching for more environmentally friendly car care options, though. Perhaps there's a market niche to be filled (if it hasn't already been) -- green car care products for green cars.
When I clean the interior of my vehicles, I use the Armor All wipes (yellow can for the dash and the brown can for the leather seats.) For me steering wheel and sometimes my dash/console I will use STP's "Son of a Gun". I spray is onto a paper towel then wipe it on whatever I am cleaning.
To clean my battery (12 V) I usually use coke (or pepsi) then flush it with water to wash away the sugar residue.
I blew it today
