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Car wash
A car wash, or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior, of cars. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possibly connected to a filling station). Car washes may also be events where people pay to have their cars washed by volunteers, often using less specialized equipment, as a fundraiser.
The first U.S. patent for a mechanized car wash was filed in 1900 and soon followed by "auto laundries". The Automobile Laundry in Detroit, Michigan, opened in 1914 by Frank McCormick and J.W. Hinkle, is considered the first business in the U.S. to adopt the name "car wash" for their services. Manual car wash operations, which used manpower to push or move the cars through stages, peaked at 32 drive-through facilities in the United States. The first semi-automatic car wash in the United States debuted in 1946 at a facility in Detroit, which used automatic pulley systems and manual brushing.
Dan Hanna, encouraged by car washers in Detroit, founded a car wash in 1967 called the Rub-a-Dub in Oregon. He later formed Hanna Enterprises and reached about 31 locations. Hanna operated his wash rack until adopting a mechanized car washing system in 1959. The company became one of the leading manufacturers of car washing equipment and materials, including brushes, conveyor belts, tire washes, and recirculating water systems. In the late-1960's, some car washes began to adopt "flex-serve" models to accommodate customers who did not want a full interior and exterior cleaning, in which facilities such as vacuuming and hand detailing are constructed near the exit as an optional service.
The car wash industry in the U.S. remained primarily led by small businesses that distinguished themselves through playful signage or building architecture. At the turn of the 21st century, the "express exterior" business model—first developed by a chain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana—began to emerge, in which computerized point of sale and queueing systems are used to manage customer throughput via automation, reducing the amount of staff required. In the 2010s, this model began to be combined with subscription-based car wash services, which offer convenience and potentially lower costs for car owners compared to traditional pay-per-wash models.
Due to their turnkey nature and lower staffing requirements, express exterior washes became an ubiquitous business model for the industry, resulting in many operators and private equity firms investing in opening larger chains of locations. As of 2024, the United States is estimated to have approximately 60,000 car washes that constitute a $14 billion industry. It experienced annual growth of approximately 5% per year in the early 2020s, which some market analysts attributed to subscription-based services. Additionally, the market share of professional car washes (versus at-home car washes) has grown significantly, from 50% in 1996 to an estimated 79% in 2021.
Some municipalities in the United States have enacted saturation bans due to the number of new car wash locations being constructed in clusters.
The following are forms of car washing.
In modern car wash facilities, whether tunnel, in-bay automatic, or self-serve, detergents and other cleaning solutions are designed to loosen and eliminate dirt and grime. This is in contrast to earlier times, when hydrofluoric acid, a hazardous chemical, was commonly used as a cleaning agent in the industry by some operators. There has been a move in the industry to shift to safer cleaning solutions. Most car wash facilities are legally required to treat and/or reuse their water and may be required to maintain wastewater discharge permits. This is in contrast to unregulated facilities or even driveway washing (at one's home), where wastewater can end up in the storm drain and, eventually, in streams, rivers, and lakes.
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Car wash
A car wash, or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior, of cars. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possibly connected to a filling station). Car washes may also be events where people pay to have their cars washed by volunteers, often using less specialized equipment, as a fundraiser.
The first U.S. patent for a mechanized car wash was filed in 1900 and soon followed by "auto laundries". The Automobile Laundry in Detroit, Michigan, opened in 1914 by Frank McCormick and J.W. Hinkle, is considered the first business in the U.S. to adopt the name "car wash" for their services. Manual car wash operations, which used manpower to push or move the cars through stages, peaked at 32 drive-through facilities in the United States. The first semi-automatic car wash in the United States debuted in 1946 at a facility in Detroit, which used automatic pulley systems and manual brushing.
Dan Hanna, encouraged by car washers in Detroit, founded a car wash in 1967 called the Rub-a-Dub in Oregon. He later formed Hanna Enterprises and reached about 31 locations. Hanna operated his wash rack until adopting a mechanized car washing system in 1959. The company became one of the leading manufacturers of car washing equipment and materials, including brushes, conveyor belts, tire washes, and recirculating water systems. In the late-1960's, some car washes began to adopt "flex-serve" models to accommodate customers who did not want a full interior and exterior cleaning, in which facilities such as vacuuming and hand detailing are constructed near the exit as an optional service.
The car wash industry in the U.S. remained primarily led by small businesses that distinguished themselves through playful signage or building architecture. At the turn of the 21st century, the "express exterior" business model—first developed by a chain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana—began to emerge, in which computerized point of sale and queueing systems are used to manage customer throughput via automation, reducing the amount of staff required. In the 2010s, this model began to be combined with subscription-based car wash services, which offer convenience and potentially lower costs for car owners compared to traditional pay-per-wash models.
Due to their turnkey nature and lower staffing requirements, express exterior washes became an ubiquitous business model for the industry, resulting in many operators and private equity firms investing in opening larger chains of locations. As of 2024, the United States is estimated to have approximately 60,000 car washes that constitute a $14 billion industry. It experienced annual growth of approximately 5% per year in the early 2020s, which some market analysts attributed to subscription-based services. Additionally, the market share of professional car washes (versus at-home car washes) has grown significantly, from 50% in 1996 to an estimated 79% in 2021.
Some municipalities in the United States have enacted saturation bans due to the number of new car wash locations being constructed in clusters.
The following are forms of car washing.
In modern car wash facilities, whether tunnel, in-bay automatic, or self-serve, detergents and other cleaning solutions are designed to loosen and eliminate dirt and grime. This is in contrast to earlier times, when hydrofluoric acid, a hazardous chemical, was commonly used as a cleaning agent in the industry by some operators. There has been a move in the industry to shift to safer cleaning solutions. Most car wash facilities are legally required to treat and/or reuse their water and may be required to maintain wastewater discharge permits. This is in contrast to unregulated facilities or even driveway washing (at one's home), where wastewater can end up in the storm drain and, eventually, in streams, rivers, and lakes.
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