Splash car wash has made changes to their locally-owned businesses in Coventry Township and Montrose areas, including broader conveyer belts and new vacuum facilities. The Montrose location has added express detailing which provides interior cleaning for vehicles in about 20 minutes. In the future, Fairlawn will offer more extensive detailing and minor repair options such as window chip repair. Sgt. Clean has 11 car washes with most being former car wash facilities that they purchased and rehabilitated. The new Cuyahoga Falls location is one of the three facilities that were built new. Sgt. Clean offers unlimited car washes and memberships are available. Technology has helped with efficiency and safety, such as the No PileUps program which uses cameras to track the progress of a vehicle through the tunnel. Finally, Brian Krusz, founder and director of growth and development for Sgt. Clean, said they try to provide an experience and not just a product for their customers.
Car Wash Business Booms in Summit County: New Technology and Membership Packages Behind Growth
Car wash businesses are rapidly popping up all over Summit County, particularly in areas such as Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Green, and Stow. According to Christopher Randles, the chief building official with Summit County Building Standards, since 2021, ten car washes were constructed or underwent renovations in the region. Seven of these new car washes were established in Fairlawn, Cuyahoga Falls, Coventry, Akron, Tallmadge, and Green. Randles notes that the records do not include Stow, which has its own building department.
One factor contributing to this recent boom in the car wash business is the implementation of new technology and safety measures that allow for year-round operation. Kamelia Fisher, the executive director of the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce, suggests that car wash memberships have also revolutionized the market. This model allows customers to pay a monthly fee for unlimited washes and is gaining popularity, resulting in lines forming at car washes on good days.
However, starting up a car wash business can be expensive. For instance, Sgt. Clean Car Wash invested $7 million in their establishment, which opened in late October in Cuyahoga Falls, and the owners expect to see a return on their investment in approximately seven years, according to Fisher.
Dorothy Somerville, president of the South Summit Chamber of Commerce, and Julie McClain, executive director for the Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce, also report an increase in the number of car wash and car detailing businesses in their areas. Somerville stated that she knew of two car detailing businesses and two car washes that opened or underwent renovations in the past two years. Similarly, McClain reported that five new car washes opened in the Stow area in the past two years.
The rise of car wash businesses in Summit County is not just a joke on social media, but a reflection of the booming service sector in the region.
New Car Washes Brings Boon in the Stow Area
In the Stow area, there has been a recent increase in the number of car wash and car detailing businesses, with five new car washes opening in the past two years alone, according to Julie McClain, executive director for the Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce. She added that some of these establishments were in the works for years and were stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, now that restrictions have eased, these building projects are starting to move forward.
While some people might think there is an overabundance of car washes, McClain argues that these new businesses bring money back into the community and provide jobs, and therefore should be supported. She sees this as a trend, similar to the abundance of ice cream stands in the ’80s and ’90s. McClain says that there are many big plans in the works, and we should expect to see more new things coming in late spring and summer.
One of the established car washes in the area is Splash Car Wash, which has locations in Coventry Township, Montrose, and Green. These locations feature new technology, such as broader conveyor belts that make it easier for vehicles to enter the car wash, as well as new vacuum facilities. Additionally, they now offer express detailing at the Montrose location, where customers can get the interior of their vehicles cleaned in about 20 minutes or less.
According to Danielle Mallo, vice president and head of marketing for Splash Car Wash, the car washes use an old-school company, Simoniz, for their car wash, which combines old and new car wash technology and features. Mallo also mentioned that the Fairlawn location plans to offer more extensive detailing, as well as options for minor repair work, such as window chip repair.
Winter is actually a popular time for car washes, even on cold, blustery days with snowflakes flying through the air. Better heating and drying systems in car washes have enabled this once-seasonal business to operate year-round. As David Wachs, head of detailing at Splash Car Wash, points out, everyone wants to wash the salt off their vehicles in the winter.
Efficiency and Safety with the Rise of Newer Car Washes
Newer car washes offer greater efficiency and safety, according to Brian Krusz, the founder and director of growth and development for Sgt. Clean, a car wash chain with 11 locations. Krusz said that compared to 10 or 15 years ago, when a car wash could take half an hour, today’s car washes can take as little as three minutes. Society today wants everything done quickly, and car washes have adapted to this demand.
Krusz explained that there are three types of car wash facilities: the tunnel variety, the laser-style car wash, and self-serve car washes. Sgt. Clean offers an experience, not just a product, with unlimited car washes and additional amenities such as vacuums, towels, air fresheners, and mat cleaners. The company also provides memberships and offers 10% off to veterans and active-duty service members.
Sgt. Clean uses new technology to improve efficiency and safety, including a program called No PileUps, which uses cameras and a monitoring screen to track the progress of a vehicle through the tunnel. If an issue arises, such as the vehicle going out of alignment or being shifted into drive, the conveyor belt stops until the issue is resolved.
One of the benefits of using a car wash is extra shine and protection, as well as rust protection, according to David Wachs, head of detailing at Splash Car Wash. The Simoniz car wash used by Splash combines old and new car wash technology and features to provide unparalleled cleaning in the industry.
Car wash memberships have become popular, thanks to their convenience and the ability to stretch car washes longer, said Kamelia Fisher, executive director of the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce. Some car washes have also started to offer more extensive detailing and repair work, such as window chip repair, to their customers.
The rise of new car washes, combined with improved technology, has led to greater use of these services. People are willing to pay more for greater efficiency and safety, and car washes have adapted to meet this demand.
To contact the reporter who wrote the article, readers can reach out to April Helms at [email protected].
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