Follow these steps and keep our water clean!

It’s that time of year again…fun in the sun!  Summer means hot dogs, parties, and lots of water games. Parents love to have you wash their car! You can do the job with a friend or by yourself.  You can earn extra money.  You get great exercise, and your parents get a clean car. Here are some things you should know before you start. 

The water you use to wash the car gets full of dirt, soap, and oils.  When you rinse off the car, all of this goes into storm drains on your street.  If you live near a beach that water drains directly into the ocean. 

Can you imagine swimming in that dirty water?
No way! 

Do you think ocean animals would like to swim in it?
No way! 

We want to keep our water clean. It’s very important.  It may seem like there is always more fresh water, but we only have a limited amount.  So how can you help keep the ocean clean? 

Follow these easy steps:

• Wash the car on grass or gravel. The gravel works as a filter. Don’t wash it in the driveway or street.  The soap will go right into our oceans and rivers.

• Use soaps that are safe for the earth.  It will say if it is okay on the bottle or package.

• Empty any buckets of soapy water that you use down the drain in your sink in the house. Don’t empty it into the street.

If you have the time and the money, take your family car to the car wash.  It’s good for the earth.  They recycle their water.  Then, when they are done with it, they clean it before they use new water.  If you have a car wash to raise money for your school or church, call the city water department first.  They might have some helpful hints.  

So, if your mom or dad says, “Hey, do you want to make some money by washing the car?” Go ahead and wash the car.  Just use the steps above and keep our water clean.  The plants and animals will thank you. Then, you can thank yourself every time you drink a cold yummy glass of clean water.