Cut down on excessive water use and microplastics with these products
Even screenwash can be made environmentally-friendly
View 19 photos
Written by Chris WilliamsPublished: 3 August 2022Updated: 5 October 2023
There’s now a sprawling range of eco-friendly car cleaning products available, making use of bio-sourced materials but still offering top-tier car cleaning performance. These products range from simple leather cleaners right down to powerful water-based all purpose cleaners (APCs).
While there’s an increased push to add non-toxic and biodegradable runoff to most car cleaning products, certain companies are pushing the boat further than others in the quest to make car care a little greener.
We’re breaking down the best eco-friendly car cleaning products on sale, keeping a close eye on water usage, chemical composition and packaging.
Dilutable APCs (all purpose cleaners) are probably the best product you can buy if you want to be more eco-minded. Designed to work at different dilution rates for different cleaning tasks, an APC will offer plenty of cleaning power without needing to buy a load of different products. Bilt Hamber Surfex HD is a water-based APC that can be used for any task from heavy-duty engine degreasing to gentle upholstery cleaning.
This concentrated car shampoo is derived from vegetable oils giving it serious eco credentials. It'll be soft on surfaces and can be used on paintwork, glass, chrome, rubber and plastic while effectively cleaning surfaces and providing a gorgeous shine to the paintwork. Because it’s a concentrate that requires one capful (25ml) per wash, this modest one-litre bottle will last a long time.
Made from a blend of detergents derived from plants and algae, this leather cleaning kit will naturally clean leather seats, lifting dirt and even dye transfer. The Rapid Cleaner will do the cleaning while the Dye and Friction Blocker will create a small layer of protection on the seat. This kit also includes a sponge, clothes and a wooden brush.
Our Greased Lightning line-up test proved its Showroom Shine is a very good waterless wash indeed. The large one-litre volume lasts longer (up to 10 washes according to Greased Lightning) and it’s relatively good value too. We found the trigger isn’t terribly ergonomic but other than that, there are few downsides to this product. It even comes with two microfibres to use.
Rinseless car washing is a clever development in car care, using a single bucket of water to wash the car but without the need to rinse the car afterwards. This not only cuts down on water usage but also makes it easy to clean a car indoors or during a drought. It makes use of polymers that encapsulate the dirt and pull it off the car leaving it clean and shiny.
As good as microfibre drying towels are, they'll still shed a lot of microplastics as they're used. As microfibre towels are made from plastics and used to dry cars (very well we'll admit), these microplastics will enter into the water stream, not ideal for the planet. A car dryer is a far more environmentally-conscious way of drying a car, using nothing more than hot air to dry the car. It's a big investment admittedly, but this BigBoi is an excellent car dryer and will ensure you're not reliant on plastic-based microfibres.
Pros
Cut down on microfibre towel usage
Top-notch quality
Cons
A big commitment
How can car cleaning products be more eco-friendly?
Because they’re all the same? While many are indeed quite similar, there are a few car cleaning products that aim to cut down their environmental impact by either being readily biodegradable or waterless or both.
Most car cleaning products are containers of synthetic chemicals that take a very long time to break down and can have very undesirable effects on the environment when they run off into storm drains.
Biodegradable car cleaning products avoid this, particularly if they are derived from natural ingredients.
Meanwhile, waterless products are usually made from synthetic chemicals but don’t require the litres of water normally needed. Instead, they have a simple spray-on, wipe-off approach. Not only does this save water, it saves time too.
Chris Williams is an Automotive Content Writer for Parkers and CAR Magazine, he trained as an automotive journalist in New Zealand, prior to which he studied International Relations and History.
Easily overlooked but such a frequently used car cleaning product. The Totally Essential screenwash is great stuff, consisting of readily biodegradable alcohols and essential oils. It works as well as any screenwash and goes a long way (500ml of concentrate can make up to 20 litres of screenwash).
The bottle is even made from recycled plastic. If you want much better value for money, you can opt for the five litre container. It has a nice, subtle fragrance too.
Sign up to the Parkers Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews, news, and recommendations from the Parkers team.
Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections – read why you should trust us
