Traditional Water Methods v Pearl Waterless Auto Care System
In today’s society, there is a deeper focus on ‘Green’ solutions and how we can all help protect the environment towards a more sustainable future.
The escalating complexity of environmental legislation regarding the use of chemicals in professional auto cleaning operations has 
culminated in a growing number of end-users adopting alternative cleaning methods which do not require the significant investment in chemical capture and recycling facilities that are demanded by protection and compliance authorities.
Waterless wash systems have become increasingly popular within the automotive and marine care industries around the world as Government legislation combined with catastrophic climate change (global warming) is driving a major shift in auto care service providing operations looking for cleaner, safer and greener technologically advanced solutions.
Our vast experience in chemical expertise and environmental compliance together with years of dealing with customers around the globe, including market-leading commercial auto care organisations, independent valeting companies, prestigious dealerships, professional valeting operations and aftermarket sales professionals means we are completely focused, dedicated and well placed to share our advice and experiences by comparing traditional washing, cleaning and detailing methods (Water) with innovation in advanced auto care technology (Waterless).
Here we compare two valeting processes together with the potential business restrictions and opportunities using both methods outlined:-
Traditional Car Wash
- Clean wheels and tyres; generally using an acid-based wheel cleaner or caustic traffic film remover with hazardous label warnings
- Pre-rinse the full vehicle exterior with clean water using a hose pipe or high-powered pressure washer
- Wash full exterior (for example, using the 2-bucket method with 2 sponges, clean water and car shampoo)
- Full exterior vehicle rinse with clean water (no control of effluent spray or rinse off unless limited by the expensive pre-instalment of an effluent interceptor trap)
- Chamois leather to remove excess water and then a microfibre cloth to dry the full exterior
- Air blow-dry those difficult-to-reach areas to reduce water ingress which creates drip spots from sills, lights, trims, etc.
- Clean vehicle front windscreen, rearview window and side glass surfaces using a glass cleaning product
- Apply wax panel by panel and buff off wax panel by panel
- Finally, dress tyres by generally using a petroleum-based product with highly flammable and hazardous label warnings
Pearl Eco-Friendly & VOC Free Waterless Car Wash
- Mist spray alloy wheel rims, tyre walls and localised dirt spots only such as ingrained insect splatter, tree sap and bird lime with Universal Multi-Surface Cleaner (unique versatility as Universal can also be used to clean and revitalise all interior surfaces back to factory finish including; carpet, leather, fabric, plastic, vinyl and rubber trim)
- Panel by panel, top to bottom skirts including; all glass surfaces, plastic, headlamps, skirts and chrome trims. Once you have established which level of service your customer requires, simply mist spray either Advanced Ultra Nano (contains premium grade waxes and Nanotechnology for a premium waxed finish) or Pearl Professional (contains high-grade ingredients for an outstanding showroom shine finish), wipe and gently buff off using a double folded Pearl Pro Microfibre Cloth for multiple clean surfaces. (For exterior matt paint finishes use Universal Multi-Surface Cleaner to clean, detail and restore painted surfaces back to factory condition)
- Wipe pre-treated wheel rims over with microfibre cloth for effortless dirt and traffic film removal
- Finally, dress tyres by evenly spraying Eco Tyre Shine onto tyre walls in an even motion and wipe any overspray using a microfibre cloth. Eco Tyre Shine has multi-trim capabilities and can also be effectively used to detail black plastic trims and engine hoses
Commercial business opportunities – Traditional mobile ‘Bucket & Shampoo’ car wash
- Requires a large van to hold and transport equipment including a pressure washer, electricity generator, water tank, hoses and buckets
- Expensive setup costs for a large van, pressure washer and water tank together with premium insurance policies for carrying hazardous chemicals (ADR licence)
- Potentially leaves pools of suds and dirty water on customers’ driveways and business/retail car parks
- Chemical rinse off with water which causes downstream effluent pollution unless an interceptor trap is installed (may cause issues with customers, environmental protection agencies (EPA), general public and leaves a carbon footprint)
- The powerful pressure washing machine/jet wash may overspray nearby vehicles, grass and flower bed areas
- Resource consuming (uses vast amounts of water, electricity and/or kerosene)
- May create leaks and water ingress damage over a prolonged time around lights, door shuts and hinges due to high-powered water
- Not compatible with indoor operations or retail multi-story car parks
Are you aware?
By law, commercial operations have to ensure that none of their wastewater is going where it should not. So hazardous products such as thinners, coolants, effluents, vehicle-cleaning detergents, and oily wastewater, etc. must first be treated before entering the sewer system.
Therefore, the Automotive Industry in compliance with The Environmental Protective Agency has imposed certain guidelines for commercial operations that have to be stringently adhered to or face strict action if they are found to be non-compliant:
- They must have a sediment tank or a silt trap when draining the workshop floor, and an oil separation system for any oily or greasy wastewater to prevent effluents from directly entering the drains.
- They must clearly mark all stormwater drains as only rainwater should be allowed to enter them and must direct all wastewater to the sewerage system for correct treatment.
- They must store all chemicals and contaminated components (oil, brake fluid, battery acid, coolant, etc.) in sealed and leak-free containers or bins, making sure they are all undercover and clearly marked.
Certain waste liquids are classified as “traceable”, which means they require special monitoring and reporting with special disposal procedures. These include oils, transmission fluids, batteries, solvents, paint waste, and oil and fuel filters unless flushed and drained of oil. Traceable liquid wastes must be collected and disposed of by a licensed contractor for recycling or reuse.
Commercial business opportunities – Waterless mobile car wash
- Outstanding versatility enables auto care businesses to deliver their B2B and B2C services any time, any place and anywhere
- Cleaning and detailing services can be booked and paid for online with no physical human interaction required from paying for the level of service required through to valet completion
- Low start-up capital investment with no requirement for a large van or machinery which importantly releases cash flow to spend on a website, marketing and promoting your business which is essential for directing potential customer awareness and business growth
- Minimal Eco-friendly non-hazardous products can be safely transported to each job in your existing car, electric scooter or even in a rucksack on a pedal cycle
- No waste, fuss or indication that a valeting operation was present other than leaving a showroom finish
- No effect on nearby vehicles, people or areas and dramatically reducing carbon footprints
- No requirement to consume local or national resources
- No water, air or noise pollution caused by waterless services
- Delivers flexible operational capabilities as these Eco-friendly products can be applied indoors and outdoors
- Further interesting ecological facts and product information on how to save precious water, invaluable time and help the environment.
Having reviewed the above options, consider how you can help protect the environment and your business to achieve sustainable growth and success, as the rewards are there w
hether you are a small independent start-up business or a well-established high volume commercial cleaning and detailing operation, car dealership, fleet vehicles or rentals, automotive showroom, classic car collector or just passionate about maintaining your personal car, as there is little doubt that there is a ‘Cleaner, Safer, Greener’ and more effective way to do things. The Waterless method saves time, effort and money which you can undoubtedly save and more by injecting the Pearl Waterless Wash system into your vehicle maintenance procedures, whilst caring for the environment at the same time.
Next time you want to clean your own or a customer’s car, motorcycle, yacht or any prized possession, please consider Pearl Total Waterless Cleaning & Detailing Solutions and see how fast, easy and effective they are to use in creating the high-performance showroom finish results that you and your customers deserve.
All Pearl Global Ltd products that are incorporated on our official website are exclusively manufactured in Manchester, United Kingdom and are fully supported with Safety Data Sheets (SDS), Technical Data Sheets (TDS), Certificate of Analysis (COA) and our manufacturing processes and systems together with environmental compliance are accredited to BS EN ISO 9001 and 14001 industry-leading chemical quality standards. This is in line with the very latest European Union (EU) and Global Harmonisation System (GHS) stringent Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) regulations together with REACH directives.
Our continued membership with The British Chambers of Commerce together with our Approved Exporter Status further endorses the proactive lengths we undertake to ensure our product quality and exemplary service levels are always maintained to protect and safeguard business success and longevity.
We ship our products throughout the world via courier, road, sea and air freight with palletised freight rates direct from our plant in the UK amongst the very best in the world and on understanding specific volume requirements, we will always obtain the very best quotation from the network of global logistic partners whom we utilise daily.
Pearl waterless cleaning, detailing and protective auto care solutions sustainably reach people, places and surfaces where precious water can’t and so together we can all help make a positive difference by reducing our carbon footprints and the negative impact we have on the environment.
May we advise that all new and existing customers are extremely important to us and we would certainly be interested in the potential of supplying you and your auto care business requirements.
We hope you have found reading our article helpful and if you would like to find out more interesting ecological facts and information about our company and industry-leading products, please follow this link to Pearl Official Newsletter or directly contact our Global Sales Team sales@pearlgloballtd.com where we will be delighted to answer all your questions.
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Together we can help make a difference; Pearl Global Ltd British manufacturing helping businesses to achieve sustainable growth and success throughout the world.
