Safe Car Care
Try these safe care care methods for a less toxic approach to maintaining your car.
Car Battery Cleaner
Baking soda
Sprinkle baking soda on battery terminals to neutralize the battery acid. Spritz with water to dampen. Let set for an hour or so, then sponge off the baking soda with water. Air-dry.
The ‘Good’ Antifreeze
A less-toxic antifreeze than the commonly used ethylene glycol is available and sold by automotive supply stores. The “good” kind is made of propylene glycol, which is safe enough to be used as a food additive; ethylene glycol is so toxic it’s a household hazardous waste.
Here’s an additional caution regarding ethylene glycol: If you have a septic system, do not pour ethylene glycol down the drain. If you are on municipal water, dilute this antifreeze before pouring it down the drain or, better yet, save it for your community’s household hazardous waste pickup day. Some service stations recycle this antifreeze, too.
