How it All Began – An Automatic Car Wash History

Splash and Go Car Wash is proud to be a part of the automotive industry. The automatic car wash and its technology are often used, but customers may not know much about the evolution of the car wash industry. Just like the automobile itself, the automatic car wash is rich in history.

Ever since cars were first invented in the late 1800s, people were taking the time to wash their vehicles. Detroit, Michigan is where the first production line car wash originated. Two Detroit men by the names of Frank McCormick and J.W. Hinkle opened the “Automobile Laundry.” Cars were pushed by hand through an assembly line like tunnel. Not until the 1940s did the automatic car wash make its debut.

The land of dreams is not only for actors, singers, and stars. Hollywood, California is the home of the first “automatic” car wash. Workers were still scrubbing and drying the vehicles, but instead of an assembly line, a winch system was put in place. The first automatic conveyor car wash was in business. 

In 1946, a man named Thomas Simpson invented the first semi automatic wash system,  taking most of the manual labor out of the car wash tunnel. A conveyor belt hooked to the bumper of the car, whilst an overhead water sprinkler system with three sets of manually operated brushes washed the vehicle. To finish the job, a 50 HP air blower dried the automobile. 

1950’s and the Automatic Car Wash 

1951 marks the year the automatic car wash became fully automated thanks to Archie, Dean and Eldon Anderson. Seattle, Washington is where the Anderson brothers invented the completely hands-free automatic car wash. The brothers added nozzles to slather soap and water onto the vehicle, along with automated brushes and the 50 HP air blower invented in 1946. 

Dan Hanna, another pivotal pioneer in the automatic car wash industry, opened Rub-a-Dub in Milwaukie, Oregon, in 1955. Rub-A-Dub expanded to 31 locations, and as Hanna’s corporation grew, the equipment used at Rub-A-Dub improved as well. By 1959, Hanna was installing the faster, more efficient equipment used at his car wash chain, into other automated car washes around the world. 

Dan Hanna did not stop in the 1950s. By the mid-’60s Hanna Enterprises developed into the main source and developer of car wash materials, becoming the greatest car wash equipment manufacturer worldwide. Throughout the 1960s, fully automated car washing systems were introduced and installed all around the United States. 

Major inventions in the car wash industry in the 1960s include recirculating water systems, soft cloth friction washing, roller on-demand conveyor, and wraparound brush. 

1980’s

Fortunately, as the 1980s began, the U.S. economy strengthened and progressed.  In addition to a renewed economy, automobile ownership increased and the car wash industry recovered. The flex-serve car wash was introduced in the 1980s. Flex-serve means a combination of offerings. Customers were now allowed to choose the type and extent of the automatic car wash services they wanted. 

Although today’s model of the flex-serve car wash is different from the original model, the 1980s was key to making the car wash industry what it is today. 

A big issue the world addresses and cares for today is the environment. Commit to do your part and take a look at how the automatic car industry is conserving and repurposing water. An eco-friendly car wash is the way to go, and the automatic car wash industry has made leaps and bounds to be as efficient as possible in more areas than one. Express car washes use enormous tanks of cleaning solutions with assorted colors, all rated green. Your favorite Lee’s Summit car wash, Splash and Go, implements expert processes of water being sprayed and collected, as quickly as possible, greatly reducing the amount of water used per wash.