Car owners, car renters and car sharers, take note. San Francisco's Castro District is now home to an adorable green (both environmentally and aesthetically) car wash that manages to conserve water while cleaning the city's cars.
Hoodline brings us the story of Sherwin Ang, a Richmond resident who opened up Auto Fresh at that gas station on Castro and Market that we've always ignored (376 Castro Street, to be exact). The environmentalist and car wash owner dreamed up with the eco-friendly car wash idea during the most recent California drought and launched Auto Fresh's first location just last week.
Instead of dumping hundreds of cups of water on cars, Auto Fresh uses something they call a "dry wash method", consisting of a solution that's sprayed on a dirty car, then wiped down with a towel. Curious about that solution? Us too. According to Auto Fresh's site, it's "biodegradable formula chemically encapsulates the dirt and disintegrates grimes to safely remove surface contaminants. It also contains plant-derived polymers that ensure a scratch-free finish, leaving your car with a protective coating and showroom-worthy shine."
Auto Fresh's solution removes city-dirt. Post-Burning Man grime and off-road filth will need a heavy duty clean that Auto Fresh doesn't yet provide.
Eco-friendly car washes don't come cheap. A basic exterior wash is $30 for a compact car, and takes about 40 minutes. A large SUV can expect to fork over $50, and that doesn't include an inside clean, which is an additional $10. Soon, you'll be able to get your car waxed (with Earth-friendly wax) and detailed at Auto Fresh. For now, Ang is hoping to build up her brick and mortar business and is confident that San Francisco drivers are willing to pay a bit more for quality results that benefit our environment.
“We don’t have any puddles, we barely use the drain, and we have no toxic runoff," Ang told Hoodline. "We use one cup of water and everything is hand-washed. It’s just better service.”