The History of Car Washes

The History of Car Washes

The history of car wash technology has vastly changed over the past one hundred years. Fully automated car washes seem to be the go-to nowadays, but just over one hundred years ago, this type of technology was not even dreamt of. 

The First Car Wash

Detroit, Michigan is arguably believed to be the home of the first car wash, the “Automated Laundry”, which opened in 1914, though at this time they weren’t using automated equipment. At the Automated Laundry cars were pushed in manually through a tunnel where workers rinsed, soaped, and dried the vehicle. Each worker had a specific task, giving the wash an assembly-line feel. 

The Evolution of Car Washing

In the next 30 years, the car wash concept became very popular. Over thirty car washes opened throughout the country, and in 1940 the first conveyor-style car wash opened in Hollywood, California. Cars were still washed and dried manually but were pulled through the tunnel by a conveyor. 

In 1946 Thomas Simpson was credited for bringing new technology to the car wash industry. He introduced a semi-automatic car wash system that featured a conveyor belt to pull vehicles through the wash, an overhead sprinkler to rinse the vehicle, and a fifty horsepower air dryer to dry the car. 

Almost five years later, the Anderson brothers opened “Elephant Car Wash” in Seattle, Washington and provided one of the first hands-free automatic car washes. This car wash used machines to do all the work, including pulling the car through, applying soaps, rinsing, and drying the vehicles.

Throughout the 1950s and ’60s more car washes started to expand with this new type of automated equipment. Other new inventions such as recyclable water systems, soft cloth washing, and wraparound brushes also emerged at this time. 

Modern Car Washes

In this day and age, car washing has become very diverse to meet the needs of different customers. Several car washing options are available, everything from self-serve washes to full services washes, to meet the specific needs and price points for a variety of customers. Car wash technology still continues to progress to provide a faster, safer, and a more convenient wash. 
At Rocky Mountain Car Wash, we use state of the art equipment and technology to enhance the customer car wash experience. You can find self-serves, automatic washes, and self-serve vacuums at ALL of our locations.