In 1998 George and Molly Greene were operating an environmental engineering company in the United States when they received a desperate request. People in Honduras, which had been impacted heavily by Hurricane Mitch, were in desperate need of a renewable source of clean water.
Unable to find a water treatment system that met the critical needs expressed in those communities, they and their engineers undertook to design, build, and implement their own systems—and to save lives in doing so.
This was the beginning of the international nonprofit organization Water Mission, a group of talented and passionate individuals working to not only install water systems where needed around the world, but to understand the growing global water crisis and its solutions. From its earliest days the Water Mission began to implement refined water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions that keep working, that reduce costs for those using them, and which evolve along with needs of the communities being served.
Today Water Mission has expanded considerably in their field, serving more than 50 countries around the world and providing safe, potable water to over three million individuals to date with an emphasis on solar power, research studies, and community and government partnership.
Tommy’s Express Car Wash is proud to support this vital mission, and to this end a portion of each car wash at every one of our facilities goes directly to supporting the work and ministry of Water Mission. Water is precious, and with the right innovation, engineering, and passion we can all make sure that our limited supply of clean water is used wisely and used well.
Last week we took a look at how driveway car washing can be a problem for local ponds, rivers, streams, and lakes. But there’s another reason to skip the buckets and sponges: water waste.
According to the EPA the average driveway car wash in America uses over 116 gallons of water. But maybe that’s not so surprising. After all, a standard 5/8” garden hose will output 17 gallons of water or more each minute, which adds up fast even if you’re being careful. And because the public water used for the final rinse is unfiltered, you’re going to have water spots left behind after it dries.
Now consider that our modern Tommy’s Express car wash designs use less than 35 total gallons of water per car—around the same amount as a full bathtub (30+ gallons) or one load of laundry in a top-loading washer (35+ gallons)—while providing a low pH presoak, soft cloth cleaning action, an underbody rinse, hot wax, UV guard, and tire shine. And all in under 3 minutes!
Why is our water use so much less than driveway washing? High quality car wash engineering. Instead of an open garden hose our system works with targeted, high pressure nozzles and precise cleaning product dilutions to safely provide the most cleaning and rinsing power possible with the absolute minimum water usage. And to prevent water spotting we use industrial water softeners and reverse osmosis units ensure that the final result of your wash is better without repeat rinsing.
The Tommy’s Express car wash brand is growing, and as we grow we look forward to bringing efficient, green car washing to more and more communities around the nation. Visit your local Tommy’s Express and see the difference for yourself!
Spring is nearly here, bringing warm weather and more chances to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and blue skies. But while you’re out and about, remember that there’s one reason why washing your car at home isn’t a good option for your spring cleaning schedule:
Driveway car washing is a substantial source of water pollution.
According to groups like the Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Water Consortium, and a wide range of state level agencies, driveway washing is a devastating homeowner practice that leads to lasting ecological damage in local water bodies.
When vehicle owners soap up their cars they generally use one of several varieties of car wash detergents, all of which are generally rich in surfactants, sodium or disodium phosphate, and other detergents. When the car is ready these compounds are rinsed off together and sent straight down the driveway and into the nearest storm sewer or drainage ditch—along with any brake dust, wax, or motor oil that might be mixed in.
These artificial phosphates are a powerful nutrient and growth stimulator for algae, resulting in huge algae blooms in ponds and lakes that block out sunlight for the aquatic plants below and rapidly deplete oxygen from the water – oxygen that local fish and marine wildlife need to survive. Once driveway car wash detergents get into storm sewers or drainage routes they flush straight down into the nearest stream, river, or lake. Huge die-offs are a result, and the algae that’s left behind is ugly, slimy to the touch, and stinks when it washes up and dries out on beaches and river bends.
The problem of driveway washing and water pollution has gotten so bad that many municipalities have run public service announcements and information campaigns to turn residents off from washing their cars at home, encouraging the use of professional car wash facilities like Tommy’s Express where all detergents and wash runoff are safely captured and transported via sanitary sewer to a local water treatment plant.
At Tommy’s Express 0% of our detergents and cleaning products end up in local waterways, which makes us the greenest, fastest solution for your automotive spring cleaning. Visit one of our express car wash locations today and come see for yourself!
