Small car fluid leaks can create a big problem for our waterways.
Car Maintenance Tips
Keep your car—and the environment—running smoothly by following some simple automotive best practices.
- Maintain: Keep up with regular car maintenance to prevent leakage of oil, antifreeze and other fluids and save money on car repair.
- Recycle: Take your used oil, oil filters and car batteries to a Riverside County household hazardous waste collection center or automotive center. You can also buy high-quality recycled motor oil and batteries for your car.
- Clean it up: Use a drip pan to collect spills when changing car fluids. Quickly clean up any leaks or spills with an absorbent material like kitty litter and dispose of it at a collection center.
Wash Me!
Think of all of the pollutants that collect on your vehicle to make it dirty. That’s what we need to keep out of our waterways.
- Leave it to a professional: Bring your vehicle to a car wash that reclaims the wash water. This prevents oil, grease and pollutants from washing into the storm drains.
- Get on the grass: If you must DIY, drive your vehicle onto a permeable surface like your yard and use biodegradable and phosphate-free soaps, cleaners and detergents.
- Be water wise: Prevent runoff and water waste by using a hose with an auto shut-off nozzle.
Freeze! Recycle that Antifreeze!
Antifreeze, made from the chemical ethylene glycol, is extremely toxic. It can have a serious impact on the health of aquatic life.
- Avoid spills: Use a drip pan when draining your radiator.
- Dispose properly: Always take used antifreeze to a household hazardous waste collection site in a sealed, leak-proof container.
- Upgrade your antifreeze: Antifreeze made from propylene glycol has a lower freezing point, a higher boiling point and lasts longer. All used antifreeze contains dangerous automotive chemicals, so continue to treat it as a toxic substance.
