Driving is becoming increasingly expensive due to rising fuel and other costs. For this reason, people want to keep their vehicles in the best possible condition for a long time, and this is achieved by regularly maintaining the car and keeping its surfaces clean to prevent rust or other dirt from damaging the paintwork.
There are drivers who only wash their car in an automatic car wash, and there are drivers whose car has never seen an automatic car wash. For both options, there are several reasons why this is done, but we won't delve into that too much now.
What does it cost to use a car wash in a year?
A basic wash in a car wash, without wax or other special features, costs about €20 per wash. Of course, additional extras such as wax, solvents, or undercarriage washing are available for an extra charge, but €20 is a good figure to use for this comparison.
Let's assume the car is washed approximately 25 times a year, i.e., every two weeks. The annual cost of car washing will be 25 x €20 = €500.
What does it cost to wash a car yourself?
When calculating the cost of washing a car in your own yard, different factors need to be considered depending on whether you have, for example, a pressure washer, a wash bucket, or other supplies at home. However, let's start by assuming that you only have an outdoor water tap at home!
What is needed for home car washing:
- Pressure washer / €300
- Wash bucket / €10
- Wash mitt / €10
- Brush for wheel washing / €10
- Microfiber cloths / €10 – 5 pcs
So, the supplies cost a total of €340 to start washing the car at home. The price of a pressure washer is difficult to determine because there are so many options in terms of price, and it can be used for many other things besides car washing. Washing a car with just a garden hose also works perfectly well.
Let's then go through the basic detergents needed for car washing. Since one car wash detergent is enough for several washes, we will also calculate the cost per wash for the detergent.
Basic detergents:
- Fure Car Shampoo €15.90 / Yields 100 washes = €0.15 / wash (5ml detergent in 10L water)
- Fure Iron Remover €15.90 / Yields 15 washes = €1.06 / wash
Occasionally needed detergents:
- Fure Tar Remover €12.90 / Yields 25 uses = €0.52 / use
- Fure Insect Remover €12.90 / Yields 15 uses = €0.86 / use
- Fure Quick Wax €15.90 / Yields 15 uses = €1.06 / use
Now, when we start calculating the price of a basic wash in terms of detergents, the detergents for one wash cost about €1.21, and if tar remover and insect remover are also used and the job is finished with quick wax, the cost of materials for one car wash is €3.65.
In summary, home car washing can be started with €340 for supplies + €73.5 for a Fure product package. So, even if you only have a water tap at home, washing it yourself saves a significant amount of money. Of course, you need to consider the time spent and some water will be used. Pressure washers consume an average of 500L/h of water, so we are not talking about large quantities.
So where should the car be washed?
Car wash machine
+ Fast and effortless
+ Available all year round
– Expensive
– Leaves dirt in crevices and door jambs
Washing the car yourself at home
+ Cheap
+ Better washing result
+ Possibility to wash the car more thoroughly (door jambs, wheels, insects, tar)
– Takes more time
– May not be possible to wash in your own yard
– Not available all year round (Unless you have the possibility to wash the car in a warm place in winter)
Ultimately, the right option depends on your own interest in your car and the possibilities you have to wash it. For example, not everyone has the opportunity to wash their car in their own yard, so in that case, the car must be washed in an automatic car wash or taken to a local car wash. But if you want to save money, an investment of about €50 will get you started with detailing your car yourself!
