Enter your body weight and time spent washing the car to calculate your calories burned washing the car. Most people burn about 80 to 180 calories washing a car for 30 minutes, with higher totals during longer or more vigorous sessions.
Calories Burned Formula
Use the following formula to calculate calories burned while washing a car.
C = BW * t * f
Variables:
- C = calories burned
- BW = body weight
- t = time spent washing the car in minutes
- f = washing car activity factor
For a standard hand wash, use f = 0.0278 when body weight is entered in pounds or f = 0.0613 when body weight is entered in kilograms.
Common Washing Car Activity Factors
- Light rinse or quick wipe: 0.0238 per lb per minute, or 0.0525 per kg per minute
- Standard hand wash: 0.0278 per lb per minute, or 0.0613 per kg per minute
- Heavy scrubbing or detailing: 0.0357 per lb per minute, or 0.0788 per kg per minute
Calories Burned Washing a Car
Washing a car combines steady walking, arm work, reaching, bending, and scrubbing. A quick rinse burns less than a full wash with wheel cleaning, drying, or detailing, while longer sessions raise total calories burned quickly.
30-minute standard hand wash examples:
- 120 lb: about 100 calories
- 150 lb: about 125 calories
- 180 lb: about 150 calories
- 210 lb: about 175 calories
How to Calculate Calories Burned Washing a Car
- Enter your body weight in pounds or kilograms.
- Enter the number of minutes spent washing the car.
- If you use Advanced mode, choose your effort level.
- Multiply body weight by time and the washing car activity factor.
Example
A person who weighs 180 lb and washes a car for 30 minutes at a standard hand-wash pace burns:
C = 180 * 30 * 0.0278 = 150.1
That comes out to about 150 calories.
