Dear “Earth Talk”: Are there
environmentally friendly car waxes, washes, and bug removers?
— Graham Berg, Portland, Ore.
Conventional car waxes, bug removers, and other
auto-detailing formulas work because they contain strong chemicals.
Unfortunately, these synthetic substances — including glycol
monobutyl ether, a registered pesticide, and the petroleum derivatives
naptha and cosmoline — can irritate skin, cause other more serious
health problems, and get into our groundwater once they are rinsed away.
Luckily, consumers have many alternatives to choose
from. A handful of companies have risen to the challenge of developing
car-care products that won’t harm our bodies or the environment. Many
car-wax manufacturers have discovered that wax extracted naturally from the
carnauba palm of Brazil does a great job of protecting auto paint and clear
coat from bird poop, dead bugs, and other nasties. Optimum Car Wax, for
example, protects your car’s finish without abrasive chemicals,
instead combining carnauba wax with lanolins (obtained from sheep’s
wool) like those found in gentle hand lotions.
For washing your vehicle, Simple Green Car Wash
Cleaner handles automotive dirt, grime, grease, bug stains, and everything
in between without polluting. The concentrated formula contains none of the
toxic volatile organic compounds found in most such cleaners. It can be
used safely to clean paint, clearcoat, windows, chrome, rubber, canvas, and
vinyl. Another environmentally sensitive way to clean off caked-on bug guts
and other gooey debris without resorting to noxious chemicals is by
dissolving baking soda in warm water, then gently rubbing the mixture into
the car with a soft cloth.
Detailer’s Pride Gel Wheel Cleaner, available
online at driveit.com, among other retailers, is an environmentally
sensitive choice for removing caked-on brake dust from wheels and grime
from trunk lids and engine compartments. It also gets stains off vinyl and
convertible tops, cleans greasy door jambs, and is ideal for loosening and
removing bug and white wax residues. It is water-based and contains no
harmful solvents or chemicals.
For keeping your vehicle’s moving parts at
optimal performance, Balchip Corp., based in Toronto, offers a wide range
of environmentally friendly engine treatments and fuel additives that serve
to dissolve corrosive buildups and keep parts working together smoothly.
All Balchip products are derived from plants and trees and, as such, are
completely biodegradable and nontoxic.
For more information: Simple Green,
consumer.simplegreen.com; Detailer’s Pride Gel Wheel Cleaner,
www.driveit.com/tirewheelcare.html; Balchip Corp., www.greencare.com;
Optimum Car Wax, www.optimumcarcare.com.
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2005.
