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Cleaning cars ecologically can be easier than you think. Understand:

Edited and resized image by Hannes Villez is available on Unsplash

Eco-friendly car cleaning is a great way to take it easy on the environment, avoid exposure to cleaning products made with harmful chemicals, and can be easier than you think. Understand:

think green when washing your car

If you need to clean your car at home, choose a biodegradable soap. Or you can make your own eco-friendly car wash by mixing a cup of liquid dishwashing detergent and 3/4 cup of powdered coconut soap (free of chlorine, phosphate and petrolatum) with three quarts of water. This concentrate can be used sparingly with water on the outer surfaces of the car. Discover ecological detergents in the materials: "Positiv.A Dishwasher: alternative with less environmental impact", "How to make homemade detergent" and "BioWash: discover several 100 natural cleaning products".

If you need to scrub to remove any dirt that requires more effort, opt for an ecological sponge. It can even be the vegetable sponge, which in addition to being natural and biodegradable, will not scratch the car like the polypropylene sponge, which, above all, is made of non-biodegradable plastic. There are also recycled PET cloth mops made with ghost fishing nets. To top it off, you still help to alleviate a problem that kills thousands of marine animals every day. Understand better in the article: "Ghost fishing: the invisible danger of fishing nets abandoned at sea".

• Is coconut soap sustainable?
• Vegetable loofah: how to use it and its many benefits
• How to plant vegetable loofah?

Prefer rainwater

As it comes from rain, the water obtained is not considered to be potable (it may contain particles of dust and soot, even sulphate, ammonium and nitrate), therefore, it is not suitable for human consumption. Even so, it can be used in household tasks that consume the most water, such as washing the sidewalk, ecological cleaning of the car and even the toilet. You can capture rainwater with a cistern designed for this purpose. Understand this theme better in the article: "Rainwater harvesting: know the advantages and how to get started". You can also wash your car using just a glass of water. Learn how in the article: "Learn to wash your car with just a glass of water".

The car's internal environment also deserves an ecological cleaning

Making an ecological cleaning of the car's interior is a great alternative to avoid exposure to harmful chemicals.

Some cleaning products can be significantly harmful to your health. Understand the whys in the articles: "Cleaning with chemical products is as harmful as smoking 20 cigarettes a day, says study" and "Researcher lists risk of possible damage caused by cleaning products".

1) Sparkling water and essential oils

Spray a glass of sparkling water with ten drops of the essential oil - or essential oil mixture - of your choice (can be lavender, rosemary and sage) over the car seat and use a vegetable sponge to scrub, then finish with a towel cotton (preferably organic or recycled PET) clean.

• Is sparkling water bad?
• What are essential oils?

2) Vinegar and homemade detergent

Mix a cup of vinegar, a few drops of detergent (see the articles on ecological detergent mentioned above) and a liter of hot water. Then apply the mixture to the bench and use a brush to scrub it. Then use clean water to rinse the seat.

3) Sodium Bicarbonate

Mix ¼ cup of baking soda with a cup of warm water and rub the paste over the blemishes in the car seat with a reused toothbrush. If the stain is hard, let the solution sit for about 30 minutes.

• The various uses of sodium bicarbonate
• Six Misuses of Baking Soda

To boost car seat cleaning

• Vacuum once a week;
• Keep a towel, brush and some water in the glove compartment to clean up accidental dirt as quickly as possible, avoiding stains;
• Leave a bag with coffee beans, activated charcoal or citrus peel inside the car to avoid bad smells;

Choose the best multipurpose and window cleaner

For ecological cleaning of the glove box, windows, inner region of the doors and panel, prefer a multipurpose and a window cleaner with a lower environmental footprint. Find out how to choose from the materials: "Positiv.A's multipurpose cleaner: more ecological option" and "What is the all-purpose cleaner made and what are its impacts". You can also make a homemade window cleaner. To find out how to make your own window cleaner in the video:

Avoid the need to clean the car

Try to keep the car clean, avoid eating inside it and leave a container to store the garbage (after do the correct disposal). This way, you will spend less time and other material resources having to clean it.