A car wash may leave a vehicle sparkling clean, but it can also leave behind something far more precious — litres of water wasted in the process.
With a traditional car wash using around 25 litres of water for a single vehicle, the everyday act of keeping our cars clean can quietly add to the pressure on an already stretched resource. And in a country where many cities face water shortages every summer, one Pune entrepreneur began wondering: what if we could wash cars without water at all?
That question led Nitin, the founder of Go Waterless, on a two-year journey to find an unlikely alternative.
It started with a water shortage
While working at his family’s automobile business, Nitin had seen the same problem return every summer. The borewells would dry up, leaving little or no water to wash customers’ cars.
For Nitin, it was more than an inconvenience. If there was no water, there was no way to continue the car-washing business.
After testing nearly 600 formulations, Nitin developed a plant-based cleaner that uses just 100 ml of solution instead of roughly 25 litres of water for a conventional car wash.
So, instead of looking for another source of water, he decided to eliminate the need for it all together.
600 formulas later
The idea was easier imagined than executed.
Nitin spent two years experimenting with different formulations, trying nearly 600 formulas before arriving at a plant-based cleaner that could safely clean cars without water.
The journey also came with its share of doubts. His wife mortgaged her jewellery to support the venture, while members of his family wondered if Nitin had taken things too far.
But he kept going.
Eventually, he developed a cleaner made using a unique blend of five plant extracts. The formulation is anti-corrosive, disinfecting and designed to leave cars streak-free.
Most importantly, just 100 ml of the solution can replace the roughly 25 litres of water used in a conventional car wash.
From a bold experiment to 214 franchises
What began as Nitin’s attempt to solve a water shortage at his family business has since grown into Go Waterless, which now has 214 franchises across 22 states, with international orders coming in too.
From a summer water shortage to a growing business, Nitin’s idea is helping save water one car at a time.
From an initial investment of around Rs 10 lakh, the business has grown to around Rs 10 crore in five years.
Yet, beyond the numbers, Nitin’s larger goal remains to reduce water wastage, one car at a time.
Because sometimes, saving a precious resource doesn’t require changing the way we live — it simply means doing everyday things a little differently.
