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Is a professional car wash better than washing in your driveway?

Is a professional car wash better than washing in your driveway?

This is one of those things many of us don’t realize—until we know better. After years focused on protecting our local waterways, we’ve learned that using an eco-friendly car wash like Tommy’s Express is not only better for your vehicle, but also far better for the environment than washing at home.

While driveway car washing may seem harmless, the soapy runoff isn’t treated. Instead, it flows directly into storm drains, ditches, and nearby waterways, carrying oil, brake dust, heavy metals, and detergents that can harm wildlife and degrade water quality.

Professional car washes like Tommy’s Express are engineered to prevent this pollution. Their systems use targeted, high-pressure nozzles and precisely measured soap dilutions to clean effectively while using significantly less water than an open garden hose. Advanced water-softening and reverse-osmosis systems also deliver a cleaner, spot-free rinse—without unnecessary waste.

And the filtering? Lots of it!
Water conservation and filtration are top priorities for professional car washes. At Tommy’s Express, wastewater is sent through multiple filtration systems so it can be reused as much as possible, keeping pollutants out of our waterways while conserving thousands of gallons of water.

Why Would a Car Wash Care About Our Waterways?

Beyond efficiency, Tommy’s Express is also deeply invested in giving back to the community. Locally, they support the Waterway Warriors mission through financial contributions, hands-on participation at cleanups, and monthly donations of used soap barrels. These barrels are repurposed as trash receptacles in high-traffic waterway recreation areas, helping stop litter before it reaches our rivers and lagoons, or traded through our Barrels2Buckets program to support our boots-on-the-ground cleanup efforts.

Here’s how YOU can make a difference (and have a little fun doing it):
✔️ Skip the driveway—choose an eco-friendly car wash like Tommy’s Express
✔️ Come out to a Waterway Warriors cleanup and see firsthand how pollution travels from roads to water
✔️ Support local businesses that invest in local solutions

Clean car. Cleaner waterways. Stronger community.


Visit Tommy’s Express for your next wash—and then join us at an upcoming cleanup to help protect the waters we all love.

 Find our next cleanup event and get involved at our events section of our website.

Because protecting our waterways starts with everyday choices, and grows stronger when we show up together!

 


Thank you to our generous VISIONARY SPONSORS


  • American Earth Anchors
    American Earth Anchors
  • Gear321
  • Capasso
  • Caudill McNeight
  • Lowes
  • StorSafe
  • Seaside Auto
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