Curiously, my neighborhood now has warnings on the drains on the street saying "ONLY WATER DOWN THE DRAIN", as they are storm drains, and our HOA put out an announcement that we should not be dumping any water that could contain harmful chemicals or debris that can affect wildlife. As an example, they mentioned car wash soap as a problematic substance (not to mention brake dust and other chemicals that could be washed down the drains). Since I really would prefer to keep washing my Corvette by hand and would rather not have to shell out the cash to a commerical car wash place every time I need to do a quick wash, I am curious what you guys are doing if you have a storm drain in your neighborhood to comply with these rules while still keeping the car clean. I have seen that water diversion strategies could work, but I don't have much yard to which to divert the water, and simply laying down towels doesn't seem reliable (or fun).

 

What a load of BS. Just ignore the warnings. They shoukd consider themselves lucky that you don't dump used motor oil down the drain.

 

Well, see, I would, but our HOA president lives next door to me and has actually asked me about this recently while she saw me washing the car.

Now, do I think the warnings are completely legit? Not really - all kinds of car-related pollution probably gets rinsed down the drain during a typical rain storm anyway. However, I also don't want to cause any trouble.

And, I could just go off-property to wash my car at a self-service wash bay... there is that option, but I have all these car wash supplies at home and would like to use them.

 

Another good reason why I won't live in a neighborhood that has an HOA.

 

Well it's looking like I'll have to move. Thanks, everyone. /s

Of course, I am still looking for recommendations on products or methods for dealing with water from washing my car.

 

Amazon has several eco-friendly car wash soaps. I don't know how they could bitch about something like this...

 

Rinseless car wash.

 

You got me thinking because I'm in an HOA and have a storm drain that feeds the pond behind my home that everybody's water drains into. I looked up the soap that I use in the Foam Canon, here is what came up when I looked up the spec and ...

Yes — you can reasonably assume it’s safe around a storm drain, with the normal common‑sense caveats.

Here’s why:

The product is explicitly labeled biodegradable

The Amazon listing clearly states “Material Features: Biodegradable” . That means the surfactants are designed to break down naturally rather than persist in the environment.

Car shampoos like this are formulated for outdoor use

Professional wash soaps — especially Meguiar’s — are engineered with the expectation that runoff will hit driveways, grass, and yes, storm drains. “Biodegradable” is the industry’s way of signaling that the ingredients meet modern environmental standards for wash runoff.

⚠️ But here’s the real‑world nuance

Even biodegradable soaps shouldn’t be dumped directly into a storm drain. But normal wash runoff (foam sliding down the driveway, diluted by rinse water) is considered acceptable in most municipalities.

If you’re washing in your driveway like a typical homeowner, you’re well within the intended use of this product.

👍 Best‑practice tips (simple and effective)

• Wash on the driveway, not directly over the drain
  
• Let runoff flow across concrete/grass so soil and sunlight help break it down
  
• Avoid dumping leftover concentrated soap into the drain — pour it on grass or gravel instead
  

Bottom line

Using Hyper Wash for a normal car wash near a storm drain is safe and appropriate, and the product is specifically formulated to be environmentally responsible.

This is just one example. I would tell my HOA to screw-off!
Now, I've had to stop painters from washing their brushes in the drain that turned the pond water white in the area in the pond and even that didn't kill the wildlife in the pond. I've also seen cleaning people dump their dirty, extra cleaning solutions in these drains. The last thing a good HOA should be doing is preventing folks from washing their vehicles in their driveways! It really gives HOA's a bad name by enforcing stupidity. Next time ask to be shown specifically where the community by-laws states this.

 

What do they want you to do when a bird drops a bomb on your car and then it rains? The bird poop and brake dust plus oil drips all go down the drain. The HOA is not living in the real world.

 

Yeah I have thought about that as well... probably the most realistic option.

 

The secret is, that unknown to many, storm drains in non-HOA regulated neighborhoods have magic filters that screen out and clean all driveway carwash runoff, keeping it out of the ecosystem; so HOA neighborhoods, lacking these magic filters, are forced to rely on covenant restrictions to meet the standards set outside their area.

But sorry, no, I have no recommendations.

 

Wash your vehicle when your neighbor leaves?

 

Pull it on the grass and wash it

LOL

 

Just wash it with water.

 

 

Get a list of acceptable runoff products from the water department....or state EPA.

You could get a haz mat containment pool too....but then what to do with it?

SMH.

 

I washed the car in my driveway again last week. Neighbor was home. Didn't say a word about the fact that I was washing the car.

Turns out that the Meguiar's that I use supposedly includes biodegradable ingredients.

 

If it’s not too dirty, rinseless wash. I’m in a similar situation, HOA, pond behind the house and the catch basin right off my driveway. Fortunately for me, the HOA hasn’t thought of that one yet. Good Luck.

 

Unless it is really really dirty the Wolfgangs is awesome. I use the pink.

 

A buddy of mine lives in an HOA in CA, with the same commie type rules. He just pulls the car onto his lawn when he washes it so the Karen's don't discombobulate.