Innovative car washing

An innovative water-free car wash service is slowly catching on in Doha. The convenient spray-and-wipe system cleans a car in just 15 minutes.

Launched recently, the waterless wax car wash, the first of its kind in the country, uses a natural product as against the chemicals and large quantity of water used by traditional car wash centres.

The “All Without Water Mobile Car Wash & Wax Service”, introduced by “Hi Wash Company”, is currently being offered in various malls, including Villaggio and Hyatt Plaza, besides LuLu Hypermarket. The company also offers its services on call at the location required by the customer.

Going by the traditional calculations of green groups, washing a vehicle with a standard garden hose can use up to 100 gallons of water in 10 minutes. Thus the new system saves a huge quantity of water. The service is expected to get a big boost in view of the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation’s (Kahramaa) standing orders prohibiting washing of vehicles at home using a hose.

“The immediate response to our service was really exciting. As of now, we have 500 permanent members and we get nearly 2,000 orders on a daily basis. We have also reputed corporate members like Qtel”, said Vincent Achimobosi, the mark-

eting executive of the company.

Achimobosi said the membership numbers is going up daily. The company charges QR15 for a single body wash. For the members, the service is offered for QR120 for two washes a week totalling eight washes a month.

The hard yellow-brown wax used by Hi Wash comes from the carnauba palm tree (Copernicea cerifera), which is found only in the northeast of Brazil in the states of Rio Grande do Nortem, Ceara and Piaui.

The wax is obtained from the film that coats the tree’s sword-shaped leaves to protect them from the severe climate of that region. The protective compounds in the wax bond to the car’s painted surface to create a high-gloss finish that protects the surface from sunlight, acid rain, bird droppings, grime and other environmental contaminants, Achimobosi said.

“The waterless wax washing gives your car natural shine and helps to protect the paint from the harsh environment. When applied, the wax forms a thin transparent layer over the car paint. This layer covers minor scratches, stone chips and other damage, making them less visible”, claimed Achimobosi.