When I was first contacted by Eco Touch to see if I was interested in doing a product review of their waterless car wash, I have to admit I was a bit of a skeptic. After all, waterless car wash? I consider myself fairly up to date with the new green products coming out, and I’d never even heard of it.
Intrigued I said yes, in my mind thinking “It’s going to streak, it’s going to be sticky, and it’s probably going to take a ton of the stuff to get my car clean.”
Well, I’m very happy to say I was wrong on all counts. The Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash works great, and my little Honda Civic looks like the silver bullet she used to.
Why We Shouldn’t Wash Our Cars With Water…
Have you ever thought about how many gallons of water get used when you wash your car?
According to Scientific American, a home car wash goes through 80-140 gallons of water. And that’s every time you wash your car.
And all that sudsy water has to go somewhere, right? It sure does. All the chemicals from the soap you used go down the storm drain, and into area rivers and streams.
Not. Good.
Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash
This is where Eco Touch comes in. One bottle of their waterless car wash saves up to 800 gallons of water.
And, the stuff really works.
Here’s what you do: you spray the concentrate on a microfiber towel, and rub the dirt off your car. Then you use a second microfiber towel to dry and shine. That’s it. No water involved.
Now, I never wash my car (because I hate wasting the water). So, you can only imagine how dirty it was when I washed it this weekend with the Eco Touch.
Was I impressed?
You bet I was. The dirt and grime came right off. There were no streaks at all, and the towel didn’t scratch my paint in the slightest.
It was amazing. And I didn’t have to use a drop of water to get my car clean.
The Breakdown…
Now, each bottle should last for 4-6 washes. And, I can say with confidence that this is true. I was surprised at how little I used to wash my car this weekend. Granted, my car is small, but still. Once the microfiber towel got wet with the concentrate, I needed to use even less.
So, if we say that one bottle will last for 4 washes, this means we’re paying $2.50 per wash (each bottle is $9.99).
Is there anything I didn’t like about the Eco Touch waterless car wash?
Well, no. I did have to work harder to get the bugs off the front of the car (verses using water, which I think helps soften them up so they come off). But, I think this is a good thing because I got a great arm workout.
Last Word…
I’m happy to say that I was completely proven wrong with the Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash. It’s a great product that saves a ton of water and keeps chemicals out of our local watersheds.
Plus, per wash the price isn’t bad, especially compared to what you pay at a commercial wash.
My vote? Five out of five stars.
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Great review! I’ll definitely have to try this product out in the future. In my area, a no-frills, automatic car wash (with or without the free self-serve vacuums) starts at about $5.00. It would be great to save more water and a few bucks in the process. Also, I like the new design of your site!
Thanks for this review. Now I can’t wait to give it a try. It sounds labor intensive, though. Maybe I will have to pay a neighbor kid to do it.
Yikes – the rubbing of the dirt? I’ve worked with a private automotive testing company and any contact of dirt + friction was a no-no because it scratches the paint. Microscratches, most of the time, but still. Each car detailed after testing got a very light rinse with the hose (to get the dirt) and was simply hand-dried with regular towels. No streaks. Plenty of shine. Your car should have a decent paint job anyway. If you have oil splashes in with the dirt, that’s another story.
Me? I’ve had my current vehicle for 3 years and it has been washed in the above manner once. It’s an outside car, so when it rains, it gets washed. I’ll confess to wiping down the windows more often, though.
So chalk me up as a skeptic… or maybe more accurately, just immune to car washes.
I like it because it gives me the freedom to wash my car sans water
Heidi,
Thanks so much for writing in with that information! I checked closely when I was using the car wash and didn’t see any scratches. But, my car is gray and hides everything. I didn’t even think about micro-scratches being an issue. Would a microfiber towel (which is what I used) cause any scratching?
I’m the same as you; that’s the first wash my car has had (outside of a rainshower) in years. But my neighbors (much to my chagrin) wash their car every single weekend, so for them this would be a great product to cut down on their water use. 🙂
Heather,
You do make a great point with people who will wash their car anyway. My parents drive a 25+ year old diesel Mercedes (4 person family, always a one-car family) and every time the neighbors get a new car, the parents make a big deal of washing theirs. So I guess my perspective on keeping even microscratches away is that I want the paint job to last as long as the car =) I don’t think microfiber vs. any other towel makes a difference (except intentionally abrasive ones, of course), because the scratches are caused by the sharpness of the sand/mud/grit/dirt that would be rubbed around.
Just thought I’d chime in here. Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash will not scratch/marr the clearcoat when applied properly. It’s intended for light-moderately soiled vehicles. If you have heavy mud, salt or sand then you will obviously need a pre-rinse and knock off the heavy areas. This product is optimal for summer driving and/or dry climates (CA, NV, AZ).
The formula contains surfactants (soaps) which effectively break down road grime and pull them away from the surface. A high-quality microfiber towel makes a difference too…the Eco Touch brand are 300GSM. Zoom in on a microfiber and you’ll see tons of tiny scoops which pick up dirt particles. So, the formula plus towels make a great combo.
Also, we suggest a gentle wipe and lift motion. There is no need to aggressively rub the waterless car wash formula on the paint surface. Hope this helps!
Jim Dudra
Eco Touch, Inc.
Jim – sounds good, and like it might not be as muscle-intensive as I thought it might be =)
Microfiber vs any other towel makes a HUGE difference. However, not all microfiber towels are created equal, you have to compare and not grab the cheapest thing at the fair. Waterless carwashes work too, I’ve been washing my 2006 350Z and my 99 Grand Cherokeeo for almost 2 years using a waterless car wash product. I’ve tested 4 so far and found them mostly the same, except for the price. Eco touch is my next test to compare but I can anticipate that it will turn out much the same. For the record, I’d never thought anybody was in their right mind to rub a car with a great paint job without water. I tried it so I could have a factual basis for my opinion, I was hooked the first time. Not a scratch on my car that wasn’t there before and the micro-scratches were from washing it conventionally. Since the waterless washes, everything is also cleaner and free of those residues that other products leave behind. One major tip, keep your polishing microfiber clean. If you get dirt on it that is visible, change it out. If you are doing it right, your polishing towel will stay clean throughout the process until you get to the wheels.
Very interesting comments above…..and very frustrating. I am one fussy owner and started with a waterless wash product about two years ago. Read my lips, they work as advertised, do not scratch and the results are amazing….period. I often try to recommend these products to my friends and collegues and all I get is a weird look and a predictable comment that suggests that they just can’t get their head around the idea of washing and maintaining a car without water. I clean the outside of the vehicle (including glass and mirrors) in 15 to 20 minutes. If I use a quick detailer spray for extra shine and gloss, then that would be another 10 minutes. No water, buckets, hose, water spots, dripping sponges and dripping water from every crevice in the body work. Listen up, forget what you think or what others will have you believe….take a leap of faith and try it….it just simply works and the results are brilliant.
Here is an alternative waterless car cleaning product that I use called AquaZero from http://www.drymotive.com it does what it says on the bottle, very well!
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