When you’re working on your vehicle, remember that any drips or spills left in a street or driveway can flow into a storm drain and in creeks and the Bay.

• DO choose a work area that is easy to clean up, with a concrete floor if possible.
• DO use plastic tarps and drip pans when you’re working on your vehicle or if it is leaking.  Fix leaks as soon as possible.
• DO use sawdust or cat litter for spills. Sweep it up, bag it, and put it in the trash. For large spills, use a squeegee and dustpan first.
• DO NOT hose down your work area!

Rinse water from vehicle washing or brake or engine cleaning can harm wildlife if it enters a storm drain.

• DO use a commercial car wash
• DO wash your car on a lawn, gravel driveway or area where soapy water will not run into a street or storm drain.
• DO use soap sparingly if you must wash your vehicle at home – even biodegradable soap is toxic to wildlife.
• DO pour your bucket of soapy water down the sink when you have finished.
• DO use paper towels to wipe brake dust off of wheels before washing.
• DO NOT use spray-on wheel cleaners – or rinse them off – where rinse water might flow to a street or storm drain.

Many brake pads (part of disc brakes, generally on the front wheels) contain copper, which wears off as the pads wear and contributes significant amounts of toxic stormwater pollution to our creeks and Bay.

• DO clean brake dust off of wheels with paper towels and dispose of towels in the trash.
• DO ask your auto parts supplier about no-copper or low-copper brake pads for your vehicle.
• DO NOT clean wheels, brakes or brake pads where brake pad dust, cleaners or rinse water can flow to a street or storm drain.

Many degreasers contain highly toxic solvents that are dangerous to work with and harmful to the environment.

• DO read labels carefully before you buy. Avoid products containing:

• Naphtha
• Nonylphenol ethoxylate
• Trichloroethane or trichloroethylene

• DO use rags instead of water.
• DO use non-flammable, more biodegradable alternatives to highly toxic degreasers. Try limonene, a citrus-based solvent. Pour any rinse water down a sink or toilet – never into a storm drain.
• DO NOT clean your engine at home unless you can contain and properly dispose of the rinse water – a hazardous waste. Instead, take your engine or parts to a local parts store that offers a cleaning service or to a shop that collects and treats engine wastewater.

Proper use and disposal of auto fluids is an easy way to prevent stormwater pollution and protect our creeks and Bay.

• DO drain fluid into a drain pan. Use a funnel to pour fluid into a plastic container.
• DO recycle used oil.
• DO recycle your old oil filter. Poke holes in it and let it drain into your oil pan for several hours first.
• DO dispose of radiator fluid properly. Don’t flush your radiator where fluids can flow into a street, gutter or storm drain.
• DO NOT drain or pour any auto fluid onto the street or into a storm drain.
• DO NOT mix coolant with other auto fluids. They are not recyclable when mixed.