Can I use biodegradable soap to wash the car?

[The BMW Guy]

I know the City of Calgary has the bylaw against washing your car with soap. But does that include biodegradable and phosphate-free soap?

I'm thinking about getting some "Simple Green" from Canadian Tire but I'm not sure if it would get me in trouble or not.

[inline6turbo]

No sorry you can't, there's threads on this already.

Calgary is very strict and you can't use anything except water.

[G]

Has anyone actually received a ticket for washing their car on their driveway?

[idioteque]

Originally posted by G
Has anyone actually received a ticket for washing their car on their driveway?

I would hope so, because Calgary doesn't treat the street sewer water.

[alloroc]

What ya'll need is a buddy out of town to hose a 'car wash' party every weekend.t
Drive through is good enough for me.

[The BMW Guy]

How do you guys make your cars so clean then?

Just water with lots of scrubbing then clay bar and wax?

[Mitsu3000gt]

In every area I travel through regularly, the laws are not enforced. I see the same people washing their cars in their driveway year after year. I think it would have to take a complaint from a neighbor to get you in any trouble, and chances are they do it too so they won't be calling.

[Cos]

I wash my truck, car, bike with bio degradable soap. Yet to get a ticket.

[ExtraSlow]

not like you'd get a ticket for your first offense either.

But, why not take it to a nearby wand wash?

[The BMW Guy]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
not like you'd get a ticket for your first offense either.

But, why not take it to a nearby wand wash?

No need to waste a few bucks everytime when I have a pressure washer already. And I hate being rushed by people...

Unless I go there at night...but then I still have to clay/wax the car so that still takes a while.

[inline6turbo]

Search online for Optimum No Rinse if you absolutely must wash at home. But please don't let any get in the sewer. Calgary doesn't treat it and to be ignorant enough to say 'who cares' is shamefull.

Or go to a 24h spray wash place so there's no rush.

[Cos]

My truck takes me about 20/25 minutes so it is very expensive and the only car wash I like is the shell in crowfoot, I wont go elsewhere, and I dont live near there anymore.

I use bio-degradable soap, meaning it is okay to go down the drain, unless I dont understand what bio-degradable is.

[barmanjay]

Clean water and micro-fiber cloth

get a fresh bucket of water once it starts looking dirty


2 rags,.. one to wipe on and wipe off, the 2nd to wipe dry

micro-fiber works surprisingly well for the 'in-between' wand wash/car wash trips .

[jsn]

I wash mine at a car wash nowadays, but I doubt I'd get a ticket if I washed at home. I've done it on a few occasions and I think I'd have to be pretty unlucky to have a bylaw officer drive by at the same time that I'm washing my car. You'd probably only get caught if your neighbor calls you in.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I have never had any complaints about washing my car on my driveway, but then again - the nearest sewer grate is over half a block away.

Optimum No Rinse is great stuff.

[Duckman]

No. It is illegal to put anything down a storm sewer in the City of Calgary besides water. No biodegradable soap, nothing period. Would you pour it into your aquarium? Same thing as all the storm sewers go straight into the waterways without treatment. Bitch about BP and then turn around and pour crap into the Bow River? Retards, take your heads out of your asses and use a carwash FFS.

[jsn]

^^ Take it easy there captain planet. We already went over the fact that it is illegal. No need to go on the offensive there.

[syritis]

a neighbor of mine washes his car every day and there has been many complaints on him. bylaw has talked with him many times and no tickets. he uses a hose thing across the bottom of his drive way to divert the waste water onto is front lawn, apparently they really can't ticket your unless water goes down the storm drain.

ps none of his grass has died. i don't know what soap he uses.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by syritis
a neighbor of mine washes his car every day and there has been many complaints on him. bylaw has talked with him many times and no tickets. he uses a hose thing across the bottom of his drive way to divert the waste water onto is front lawn, apparently they really can't ticket your unless water goes down the storm drain.

ps none of his grass has died. i don't know what soap he uses.

hahaha...good for your neighbour!!

I really fail to see how some bio soap will "kill all our fish" when, with every rainfall, all the oil, tranny fluid, antifreeze and all the other pollutants that drips off of every single vehicle in Calgary gets washed into that same river. I remember when this whole idea was introduced in BC.... city workers ran around and painted little "fishies" beside every storm drain. Funny...no fish seemed to die off from the previous 50 or 60 years of everyone and their dog washing their cars without a thought of where the wash water was going. I don't buy into the theory at all.

[Cos]

Originally posted by Duckman
No. It is illegal to put anything down a storm sewer in the City of Calgary besides water. No biodegradable soap, nothing period. Would you pour it into your aquarium? Same thing as all the storm sewers go straight into the waterways without treatment. Bitch about BP and then turn around and pour crap into the Bow River? Retards, take your heads out of your asses and use a carwash FFS.

You better not use pesticides or fertilizer on your lawn. You better go and make sure everyone’s cars don’t leak and make sure you give hell to those guys who are in car accidents and are jerk enough to leak anti-freeze or oil all over. You better go and make sure no one throws stuff out their window or flicks cigarette butts out the window.

I think my bio-degradable soap is the least of the rivers concerns.