Mobile Waterless Car Wash Business Donates Unused Water
Waterless Works in action
Photo: Waterless Works via Facebook
The average car wash uses about 38 gallons of water, which seems like a waste when it all drains onto the pavement and into ditches.
That statistic is from the website of Waterless Works, a fresh start-up company based in the greater Philadelphia area. This business, founded by 21-year-old college student Christopher Caporale, intends to use that water for more meaningful purposes.
That doesn’t mean he won’t clean your car, though. Waterless Works features a mobile, waterless car wash system that doesn’t waste all the same 38 gallons most car washes do. And they scrub your car for you!
Waterless Car Wash Scrubs for You and Donates the Unused Water
These vehicles are used by Waterless Works to bring business to customers
Photo: Waterless Works via Facebook
After being featured in Philly Daily News, Waterless Works is attracting attention for its promising premise. Looking to conserve water rather than waste it, the waterless car wash sounds appealing to the young and trendy–especially those who don’t have time or elbow grease to spare. The only downfall: the price.
The basic wash, which costs $35 for residential visits, involves three portions:
- A purifying solution applied to the paint and rims, loosing/wiping away dirt and leaving a sealant
- A window solution that does the same thing, creating a waxy coat to protect against rainwater
- A tire glaze that keeps them from drying out from the sun, blocking UV rays
The advanced package applies a cleaning solution to the interior as well, for an extra $15. The solutions are custom made for the waterless car wash by a California company.
Their special waterless wash system
Photo: Waterless Works via Facebook
Right now, Waterless Works is still young, with half a dozen workers and a lot of in-the-works ideas (such as a mobile app to expand its territory). But it has a clear plan, at least–starting with corporate campuses at discounted rates and spreading to New Jersey by next summer. Ideally, Waterless Works intends to franchise out its vehicles and materials to independent contractors in different regions, to spread nationally and lower prices.
That prospect would make the business a whole lot more appealing to many people who would rather spend less than $10 on a traditional wash.
Waterless car wash solutions are nothing new, and neither are businesses which will wash your car for you, but there’s one aspect that sets Waterless Works apart from so many others. For every car wash, the business donates five gallons of clean water to WaterIsLife, a charity that delivers drinking water for those in Ghana, Kenya, and India.
A couple questions undeniably surround the endeavor: Are the chemicals eco-safe when the rain washes them away? What about underneath the car where salt collects? Can this approach work in all weather/seasons?
Being a start-up business, there are still undoubtedly many hurdles to overcome and critics to satisfy, but Waterless Works is headed in the right direction–especially with Market Watch noting how difficult traditional car washes are becoming for new vehicles.
With the green-conscious way our society is heading, plus the influence of convenience and technology, keep an eye out for new businesses finding fresh ways of doing old chores, just like this one.
Perhaps you’ll see one of these in your area some day
Photo: Waterless Works via Facebook
Aaron is unashamed to be a native Clevelander and the proud driver of a Hyundai Veloster Turbo (which recently replaced his 1995 Saturn SC-2). He gleefully utilizes his background in theater, literature, and communication to dramatically recite his own articles to nearby youth. Mr. Widmar happily resides in Dayton, Ohio with his magnificent wife, Vicki, but is often on the road with her exploring new destinations. Aaron has high aspirations for his writing career but often gets distracted pondering the profound nature of the human condition and forgets what he was writing… See more articles by Aaron.