A natural shine
Old Pasadena’s Eco Auto Salon uses enzymes — not water — to keep your ride green and clean
By Aria Dean , Joe Piasecki 04/23/2009
Those who say convenience has its price might change their minds after a visit to Eco Auto Salon, a new kind of car wash that’s out to prove it doesn’t take much time or money to do right by the planet.
While a typical car wash might squander dozens of gallons of water per car, the Eco Auto Salon uses little more than a teaspoon, relying instead on a cocktail of natural enzymes and a soft microfiber towel to remove dirt and leave a streak-free shine.
The customer’s end of the deal is simply dropping the car off at one of the three public lots in Old Pasadena (at South DeLacey Avenue, the Schoolhouse lot at Green Street and Fair Oaks Avenue and at the One Colorado Courtyard), and picking it up on your way out. A standard wash for any vehicle is $22, and a thorough detail starts at $110.
“When we think about what a car wash is, we think about guys running in and out of a dark tunnel, with water blowing out of it like a cannon. Over the last 50 years, the common wash hadn’t evolved much beyond harsh detergents filled with solvents and harsh degreasers,” said Eco Auto Wash founder Crispin Luna, who started the business less than
a year ago.
The Eco Auto Salon process is actually incredibly simple — requiring little more than a spray bottle and a cloth, explained Anthony Hart, manager of the De Lacey Avenue location. “Our wash solution sticks to the grime on the car, and the microfiber towel pulls in the dirt,” said Hart, who explained that the initial wash leaves behind a frothy coating of carnuba wax (derived from the substance that coats the leaves of palm trees) that, when removed by a second towel, gives cars a brilliant shine.
With an average wash using between 50 and 80 gallons of water per car and an at-home driveway wash using as many as 120, according to Luna, the Eco Auto Salon concept looks like part of the solution to an impending water crisis in Southern California.
Earlier this month the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies the residential water for many Los Angeles County cities, including Pasadena, announced water service cutbacks this summer of at least 10 percent. Not only are reserves dangerously low, the agency reported, but new restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento Delta and Colorado River will mean there just won’t be enough water for everyone if current use levels persist.
Due to nearly a decade of drought conditions, Pasadena groundwater levels are also unusually low, prompting City Council members to enact permanent water-waste prohibitions that include lawn-irrigation and car-washing restrictions. Also, commercial car washes must now install water recirculating systems by July of next year, but Eco Auto Salon is already far ahead of the curve.
“I’ve taken my car there twice. It comes out better than at the other places,” said satisfied customer Debbie Flores, a bartender at Freddie’s 35er in Old Pasadena. “I love the fact that it isn’t wasting water, and it’s convenient because I just park it and come back to a clean car after my shift.”
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