Do you legally wash one's car in the driveway or on the street?

When the weather is warm and a bit cloudy, it is perfect to get down to work and wash the car. But then the question arises: Is it allowed to wash the car on its own grounds rather than to run in an automatic car wash?

The short answer is yes, you may like to wash your car at home.

Which is namely in the Danish legislation there is nothing to prevent that you wash your car on the private grounds or on the road you live on.

But you should be aware that in the area's local plan or secured easements can save themselves a ban on car washing.

In practice, it is most often in newly built residential areas, to municipalities, to introduce special rules for the car wash. It can for example be a rule that says that in a certain residential area only have to wash the car on a purpose-furnished mm the unique washing system in the area.

According to the environmental protection act, substances that can pollute the water, not fed by streams, lakes or the sea. And therefore, municipalities can create rules for areas, such as the sewerage system has a direct discharge to a watercourse.

lack of Space on the villagrunden: Where should cars be parked?

It is in particular the discharge of soap, tjærestoffer and heavy metals to the sewer system, which can pose a problem. Especially if it be discharged directly into aquatic environments, but also when it is added to the sewer.

Why is it not illegal to wash car in the driveway or on the road, but several organizations advise against it and recommend instead to take in a car wash.

always Select the cheapest wash and save undervognsvasken away

set aside a time to wash the car by hand 2-4 times a year

It is enough to wash the car once a month

Obtain a mikrofibersvamp - alternatively, a bushy soft brush, so that you avoid pressing too hard

Use autoshampoo for the car

Lakforsegling should be done by hand at least once a year - vaskehallens seals do not come into the hooks

A mikrofiberhåndklæde is good to dry the car with after washing

Consider that sinks the car in the so-called puslepladser with miljøsikret drain

Source: FDM

In Sweden, the car wash is indirectly covered by the environmental code, which prohibits the discharge of polluted waste water.

In Jönköping municipality, it can cost 10,000 dollars to violate a prohibition to wash his car in the driveway.

the Ban was introduced after the study documented that each year is emitted to 5.5 tonnes of heavy metals, the 2,000 tonnes of oil and 5,000 tons of degreaser, autoshampoo, and waxes in the rivers and further out into the countryside.

Although the legislation does not go as far as in Denmark, there have been several municipal attempts to ban car washing on residential streets. In 2015, the proposed Danish society of nature conservation to prohibit the car wash to protect the environment, but it was flatly rejected by the environmental protection Agency.

the Arguments against a ban was that bilejernes habits have already changed much to the positive, as the danes in general have become reluctant to pour paint and chemicals in the sewer.

Your car can manage without having a carport

In Vejle Municipality and Aalborg Municipality instead of a ban attempted campaign against the car wash on the private residential streets.

In the Municipality of Aalborg, constitute kloakseparering a problem, since the wastewater from household wash through regnvandsafløb often ends up untreated in the wild.

the Municipality estimated in 2016, that alone in the Aalborg Municipality annual run of 20,000 cubic meters of untreated water from the manual car wash out in the wild.

Bilejernes organisation FDM believes that cars, as a rule, should be washed in automatic car wash.

At the car wash in the automatic car wash is water consumption typically less than at the sink, and it is also easier to control the waste water of washing in the washing machine.

most of The wash bays is today equipped with lamelbørster of foam forward of the former, which used nylonbørster, many car owners were known to scratch the billakken unnecessarily much.

if you Choose anyway to wash the car at home, recommend the FDM, that you stick to environmentally friendly products, when you choose shampoo, fælgrens, wax, etc.

Do you pour the used soapy water in the sewer?

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