Mobile Auto Detailing and Mobile On-Site Car Washing - How Much Water Do They Use?

Having built the largest mobile car wash business on the Planet and the most efficient systems in the industry over a 27-year period before retiring, folks still to this day email me and ask me questions about the industry. Not long ago someone emailed me claiming to be interested in setting up a mobile car wash business and he asked the following questions:

"How many gallons of water does one wash use?"

"How many gallons a day does a mobile car wash use?"

"How many cars can you do in an 8 hour day?"

Well, for our systems, a really dirty SUV might use 7-10 gallons max, once you get good at it 5-6. Cars between 3-5 gallons, and once you get good about 2.3 gallons per car. This is because pressure washers only put out about (5.5 hp at 1800 psi) 2.3 gallons per minute (20-seconds spray down, 40 seconds of rinse). How many gallons per day, figure a crew of two on a busy day 60-car washes, or 80-100 if you do NO Wax jobs, which hardly ever happens.

A 200-gallon loaf tank is plenty, I recommend that you use a 110-gallon loaf tank if you have a pickup and put it in the back, if that truck is less than a 1-ton. Also this requires a little more patience when driving.

You need to know that this business is not an 8-hour yuppie business day type of industry. You work when the customer needs you. You might get up early one day for rental cars, work late another day cleaning school buses up until 10 PM (BusWash.com) and some customers will demand weekends, fleets mostly, including Sunday if you want to get it all done on time.

If you are a wimp about working more than 8-hours, get a job, join the union, and forget this industry all together. Sorry, for being blunt, but if you don't have what it takes you have no business being in this industry, it will eat you alive, take all your money too.

Auto Detailing and Your Car's Inner Beauty

Every so often a vehicle needs to be deep cleaned and there are many different parts that need it. Auto detailing covers everything both inside and outside of the vehicle. There are a couple of areas on the inside of a car that can always use a good shine to keep it smelling like new.

One of these areas is the vinyl and plastic parts that are built into the vehicle. Even though these are the strongest materials they still need to be kept clean to keep them in their best condition. Thankfully, they are also the easiest to clean. You cannot only use water, as this will remove the shine, so you must use a cleaner that is specifically designed for the vinyl and plastic parts inside your vehicle. To perform the auto detailing properly, you need to spray it with the cleaner while scrubbing it into the seams and backs with a microfiber cleaning cloth or scrub brush that is made for upholstery. Next, rinse it off with water and a clean detailing towel if necessary. Let it dry, then apply a coat of polish with protection against the sun's UV rays so that its shine can be brought out and make it look clean once again.

Other parts in the interior of your vehicle that need to be cleaned on a regular basis to give your vehicle that clean and new look are the carpets and floor mats. Most vehicles are given strong mats that can be cleaned easily without damaging them. However, the mats do not give the carpets all the protection that they need, which results in the carpets getting dirty and grimy over time. This is not a quick process and could take 3 or more hours, depending on the size of your vehicle. Before you can shampoo the carpets, you need to vacuum the mats and spray any areas that may need some extra help, with stain remover. Spray sections of the carpet you intend to clean, and then use your upholstery brush again to stir up the carpet. Make sure to keep the brush damp by dipping it in a bucket of water as needed. Once each area has been cleaned, wipe it up with a towel, dump the dirty water, and use fresh water to rinse the newly cleaned areas. Finally, vacuum up the excess water and let the carpet dry.

To make sure that your car stays clean on a regular basis, you may want to perform the auto detailing process 2-3 times a year, depending on the amount of wear and tear that your vehicle handles each day. Your vehicle's interior will last longer when taken care of properly.

The Details of Detailing Auto Detailer and Car Washing Rigs

Are you in the auto detailing or mobile car washing business? If you so you know the importance of image and why you must detail your own rig to attract business and build confidence in your customer. Keep your truck and equipment clean. This goes without saying; you are in the cleaning business. How can you tell someone you do "the best wash jobs in town" if you have bugs on the grill, bird droppings on the hood and mud splashed on the sides of your truck.

Cleanliness

OK, obviously you should keep your work truck clean. Don't you think it's kind of impressive that you never seen a dirty fire truck? Stainless steel, chrome, diamond plate and a well-waxed truck says something about the fire department and instills confidence in their skills. It makes you feel safe.

Think of your car wash truck or mobile detailing rig as a miniature fire truck. Your truck should be washed every other day, not because it gets dirtier than other vehicles but because it's easy and because you are a professional auto detailer. When you run into a building, your crew should not be standing around. They should be cleaning the truck. This immediately shows you have pride and care about your business. People see your shiny car wash truck or mobile auto detailer rig and wish their cars looked that good.

You should also make that the truck looks good on the inside as well. Inside you should make sure:

Dash board is dressed

No carpet stains

Vacuumed properly

Windows cleaned inside

Door jams wiped

Orderly upkeep of items in the cab

A clean truck is your display case to sell your service to the consumer. Do not live in hypocrisy when you should be walking the walk with a first class image. Think about it.