What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

[tkjazzer]

Hello, First time posting, I hope this is the correct area.

I cannot find the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash. Does it have phosphates?

Do any of the products have phosphates?

Which chemicals in car care products are harmful to the environment? Where can I find more studies / research articles or papers on chemicals in cleaning solutions for auto, boat, or anything else used outdoors? Do you guys have environmentally friendly recommendations on your website anywhere?

I hear that it is better to wash your car on your grass than in the driveway. (I heard this also fertilizes the grass - is this true?). What forum should I start a discussion about washing your car on your grass?

However, my most important question is finding out which products have phosphates in them. Since I already own the deep crystal car wash, does that have them?

Thank you!!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

Seeing this is your first post... Welcome to Meguiar's Online!


Moving to Detailing 101

[Jeepster04]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

No to sure how it can be better to wash a car in the grass. All the water ends up in the water table one way or another.

My driveway runs off into the yard anyway but idk how it could fertilize the grass.

[Mort Corey]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

Not privy to the chemical makeup of any Meguiars product, but from reading the basic descriptions I would think that NXT wash might be a better bet in addressing your concerns....it's PH balanced and is non-detergent based. As an aside, many toothpastes contain phosphates.....not saying one shouldn't brush their teeth, just that's there's just so much you can do.

I don't think I'd wash my car on the lawn. It'd probably do more damage to the lawn than any good from a phosphate or fertilizer compound that might rinse off the car....let alone the chance of running over a danged sprinkler.

Those are just opinions and guesses....BTW

Mort

[Michael Stoops]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

Meguiar's makes all MSDS materials for all products available on their website. Looking at the MSDS for Deep Crystal Car Wash I see the only ingredients listed under "Hazardous Ingredients" are the following (all info taken from some quick research on Wikipedia):

Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) - a zwitterionic surfactant with a quaternary ammonium cation in its molecule. It is a viscous pale yellow transparent liquid and is used as a surfactant in bath products like shampoos and hand soaps, and in cosmetics as an emulsifying agent and thickener, and to reduce irritation purely ionic surfactants would cause. It also serves as an antistatic agent in hair conditioners. Cocamidopropyl betaine is the active ingredient in Johnson's Baby wash.

Sodium ether sulfate - a detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste etc.). It is an inexpensive and very effective foamer.

Sounds like pretty safe stuff to me. Toothpaste and Johnson's Baby wash??

[the other pc]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

No to sure how it can be better to wash a car in the grass. All the water ends up in the water table one way or another.
...

Wash water that flows as surface runoff will get into streams, rivers and lakes as-is. Fish aren’t designed to swim/breathe in soap. Various other animal and plant life will react to it in an unnatural and unbalanced way.

Some ecosystems are far more fragile than others. A small stream will feel the impact more heavily than an ocean.

Wash water on a lawn will absorb into the ground instead of fowling a waterway. If the soap is biodegradable it will break down over time due to environmental exposure. The biodegradable components would eventually decompose in the waterways too but by then the damage is already done.

Soil does a pretty good job of filtering water before it hits an aquifer. It’s not a perfect process, which is why we see lots of contaminated wells that have to be removed from municipal water systems.

Water resource managers recommend that consumers let wash water runoff onto the ground as a practical alternative to the ideal process, recovering the waste water and disposing of it in a controlled manner (which commercial operators are required to do).


PC.

[tkjazzer]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

Well, I'm a quasi environmentalist. I know a lot more than I do.

I know that you can't compare shampoo which drains to the treatment center with any outdoor product, which drains either the storm drain to the streams / rivers / lakes, etc OR to the water supply by filtration through soil.

I know from previously living on a lake that you aren't supposed to use your shampoo in the lake, no matter how gentle it is.

I don't really know much about phosphates. I hear they are bad, but haven't done really a lot of reading on why they are bad.

I understand the film layer that soap put on water from college chemistry.

And I understand how detergents can saponify oils, etc (saponification) from biochemistry.

However, I don't really know the mechanism of environmental impact. I just hear it is bad and try to do things to make it better. I understand the Layman's sayings of things, but not the mechanism.

Thank you all for the replies and I hope to hear about more cleaning practices that are environmentally friendly.

Thank you!

[tkjazzer]

Re: What are the ingredients to the Deep Crystal Car Wash? Does it have phosphates?

Meguiar's makes all MSDS materials for all products available on their website. Looking at the MSDS for Deep Crystal Car Wash I see the only ingredients listed under "Hazardous Ingredients" are the following (all info taken from some quick research on Wikipedia):

Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) - a zwitterionic surfactant with a quaternary ammonium cation in its molecule. It is a viscous pale yellow transparent liquid and is used as a surfactant in bath products like shampoos and hand soaps, and in cosmetics as an emulsifying agent and thickener, and to reduce irritation purely ionic surfactants would cause. It also serves as an antistatic agent in hair conditioners. Cocamidopropyl betaine is the active ingredient in Johnson's Baby wash.

Sodium ether sulfate - a detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste etc.). It is an inexpensive and very effective foamer.

Sounds like pretty safe stuff to me. Toothpaste and Johnson's Baby wash??

Where do I find this link?