Dream sheen: No water, better wash

A car wash company that uses no water for cleaning has said it is expanding operations in the UAE despite a slow response to the concept.

Ecowash Mobile, a door-to-door mobile car wash service, launched its services in Dubai last May and is now preparing to open in Abu Dhabi.

The firm uses a biodegradable chemical that cleans and polishes car exteriors with as little as 100ml of the liquid. Gregory Autunes, Managing Director, Ecowash Mobile, said: “The spray is greasy enough to make a coating around the dust and can be wiped quickly.''

Once sprayed onto the car, it lifts the dirt from the surface of the paint and traps it in the lubricant. The grime is then removed with a towel, leaving behind a protective coating that lasts for four weeks. The whole process is scratch-free. As the cleaning agent is manufactured in Europe, it follows European Union laws and is degradable, Autunes said.

Dubai operations

The Dubai operation of the franchised business has around 150 customers. A normal automatic car wash uses around 200 litres of water and costs Dh35 to Dh40.

“The difficulty here is to educate people. Their first reaction is that our service is expensive. Yes, it's more expensive than a regular wash with water. But they save time since we come to them.''

Autunes also said they have lost time trying to get authorisations required to provide services. “For instance, we can't wash cars in car parks of supermarkets and may have to pay fees in certain zones. Our activity is more for winter because it's too hot in the summer months to work outside.''

Tim Conniff, a Briton living in Palm Jumeirah, is a regular customer and uses Ecowash Mobile to get his Ferrari California, customised Jeep Wrangler and Range Rover clean and shiny. “It's nice on both aspects. There's the convenience of them coming to you and the fact that they don't use water. And the job is brilliant when it's finished,'' Conniff said.

An Ecowash can take 30 minutes to three hours depending on the service required and the vehicle size. The cost may vary between Dh60 and Dh210.

Did you know?

A survey by Australian water utility firm Sydney Water revealed that Ecowash Mobile has saved around 17 million litres of water in the Middle East. Ecowash pays a franchise fee to the Australian environmental charity Greenfleet to encourage organisations to cut greenhouse gas emissions