Adventures in Detailing will cover a quick question today; "Should I use a water based Tire Shine?" Although we are not a member of any environmental group, we do believe that it is a good idea to be good stewards of our environment. Solvent based tire shines we have tested seem to last longer than their water based counterparts, however, if you do not have a water catchment system to contain any runoff or over spray, water based tire shines' are more nature friendly. So for all you "home gamers" or do-it-yourselfers we recommend looking for the water based alternative. This does not mean you shouldn't still be careful where you're spraying your water based dressing. If you use a spray on tire shine, either put down a "drop cloth" around the base of your tires to catch the over spray or temporarily roll your vehicle onto your grass. Plants are a great filtration system for small quantities of this stuff. Also, make sure you wipe your tires down afterwards (before you start driving). If you don't wipe them down, your tires will fling off the excess, some of which will wind up on the side of your car. These drops will be sticky, & once they attract dust, the results will NOT be pretty. If you decide you cannot part with your favorite solvent based tire dressing, please use the precautions above to keep the stuff out of our waterways (this goes double for the runoff from removing brake dust as well). Another option is to use a gel or wipe on tire shine. If you use a tire applicator, this will help to minimize product from reaching the ground & possibly finding its way out through our storm drain system directly to the ocean where it could harm our coral & fishy friends. Again, please remember to wipe off any excess with an old terri cloth. If you have any questions about detailing or the detail industry that you would like "Adventures in Detailing" to tackle, please feel free to email me at gavin@autodetailaces.com. |f you have more immediate questions, you may call me directly at 222-8000. Thank you again, & happy detailing.