World Water Day – Here’s How To Minimise Water Wastage During Car Wash

Of all water on the planet, only about one per cent is easily accessible fresh surface water available for consumption by the almost eight billion humans that inhabit it. Approximately 97 per cent is salt water, while a majority of remaining fresh water is frozen in ice caps and glaciers, or difficult to access ground water.

With World Water Day, March 22nd, it bodes well for us to remind ourselves of the importance of water and how to conserve it. Instituted by the UN (United Nations), this day highlights the importance of freshwater and the horrors of quick depletion – a reality in today’s times. It also addresses the lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene – collectively known as WASH, in different parts of the world.

With so many environmental challenges looming over us, we should make a conscious effort to save water through judicious usage and adopt eco-friendly alternatives wherever possible. And among the many activities involving water, car washing is one where you can bring down unmindful wastage if you take a little care.

Here are a few tried and tested methods to minimise water wastage:

Waterless Options

You can opt for eco-friendly waterless cleaning solutions that will work wonders at keeping your Ford car shining with minimal or no water usage while also protecting the surface of your car. Use a microfibre cloth as it is non-abrasive and cleans better than a regular rag without damaging the paint and shine.

Or you could wipe the car’s surface by wetting a microfibre cloth with a non-abrasive cleaning agent and rubbing a small part of the car in circular motions until the dirt is gone. Then move on to another area. Use a fresh dry microfibre cloth to wipe dry – this will result in a clean and shiny surface. All Ford dealerships offer washing and cleaning solutions that minimize water wastage, including dry-cleaning, at affordable costs. Do ask for them when you take your Ford for service next time around.

Cleaning With Water

Do not wash your car too frequently. Instead of once a week, reduce it to once in two weeks, depending on your usage. When you do wash your car with water, do it in the shade to minimise water evaporation. And to reduce the accumulation of dirt and protect your car from insects and bird droppings, use a car cover. Ford offers single piece car covers with elastic straps for all its cars. They are made of high-quality polyester material, double stitches for longer durability and is washable. If you use a good cover, you can reduce the washing to even once a month.

Ditch The Hose

It’s not a good idea to use a water hose or pipe with continuous flow of water. To minimize water usage, use buckets filled with water and you will drastically cut down on water usage instantly. Use two buckets, one soapy and one clean, to avoid changing the water over and over again. Take a thick sponge, scrub the car’s surface with soapy water, and then wipe it with clean water. This minimises water wastage, and you can reuse the non-soapy water for your garden or house plants.

If you like to hose down your car, you can invest in an automatic shut-off nozzle and attach it to the hose. When not in use, it will automatically stop water flow, thus reducing wastage.

There are many ways in which we can be mindful while using water. Even small acts like turning off the tap when brushing teeth or shaving, rinsing vegetables in a bowl or sink with clean water instead of letting the tap run or reusing cooking water to water plants will go a long way to minimising water wastage. So, this World Water Day, take a pledge to preserve the world’s natural resources by taking small steps.

Ford’s Commitment To Saving Water

Two decades ago, Ford set out to reduce its per-vehicle water usage by an astonishing 72 per cent. By 2013, Ford had already saved more than 10 billion gallons of water. In perhaps more digestible terms, that’s the same as 15,000 competition-sized swimming pools.

While an admirable target, Ford sought to do more, setting itself an aspirational long-term goal of using zero fresh water in its manufacturing. That target is still in Ford’s sights, and the company has already made considerable steps towards ensuring that the only fresh water use at its facilities is for human consumption.

At Ford’s Chennai Vehicle Assembly and Engine Plant (VAEP), fresh water consumption is down to an incredible 1.17 cubic-meter per vehicle – down from 7.3 cubic-meter per vehicle only a decade ago. Having identified an alternate source of grey water to treat for use in non-production activities, the smart water efficiency processes see it recycle almost 100 per cent of industrial wastewater for use in manufacturing.

Ford’s other Sanand plant boasts zero water discharge, with a 110,000 cubic-meter rain water harvesting pond used for pallet washing, irrigation, and with plans in place to replace the cooling tower’s water with rainwater, too.