It’s no secret to this industry that professional car washes provide a valuable service to the communities they serve. Each year, millions of private, commercial and emergency vehicles are safely cleaned at one of more than 62,000 retail locations across the United States alone.
A clean vehicle allows for safe driving—and just like the reminders to frequently wash our hands to reduce virus transmission, car washes are keeping commonly touched vehicle surfaces clean. In this time of heightened awareness for public safety, professional car washes are uniquely able to maintain operations by implementing expanded safety-enhancing procedures.
International Carwash Association has collected a list of safety procedures from operators across the United States and is making these safety-enhancing procedures widely available for informational purposes, with the end goal of helping operators reopen and operate safely in our “new normal.”
These procedures include:
- Expanding customer and employee distancing to meet new social distancing standards, both indoors and outdoors
- Ensuring customer and employee interactions are safe and minimal
- Ensuring the cleanliness of automated payment systems
- Reducing the number and increasing cleanliness of common touch points (e.g. self-serve vacuums, vending areas and doors)
- Enhancing cleaning practices and frequency throughout the business
Therefore, ICA is advocating that state and local authorities consider professional car washes alongside other businesses that can safely reopen and maintain operations.
ICA recommends that car wash operators consider their local community’s public health guidelines in order to determine what, if any, operating procedures should be modified, and then work with local authorities to determine proper consideration for car washes and broader business rules are established.
For more information about wash operations and conducting business during COVID-19, visit www.carwash.org/sharing.
