Who doesn’t like to save money instead of going to the car wash? Well, some of us. But for the rest, here are a few tips to make sure that your car washing experience is good for everyone, not just you.
• Wash on the grass to avoid letting polluted runoff enter storm drains and bodies of water.
• Try to use non-toxic, biodegradable and phosphate-free cleaners. If you can, avoid using degreasing products, solvents, and tire cleaner products. If you have a question about a particular product, call DES at 271-3503.

Here are some tips we've come across. Feel free to add your own:

• Keep your tires properly inflated. Tires should be inflated to the pressure recommended for your vehicle; usually you can find this number inside the door frame or in your owner’s manual. For every three pounds below recommended pressure, fuel economy goes down by about 1 percent. Tires can lose a pound of pressure a month, so check pressure regularly, and especially before going on a long trip or carrying heavy loads. Also: Don’t buy “aggressive” tread tires if you don’t need them.

For those of you who top off your gas tanks, here’s something to think about: Don’t overfill the tank or try to top it off beyond where the automatic nozzle clicks off. Spilled gas evaporates to aggravate smog formation and can leak into groundwater.