We occasionally provide excerpts from The Great American Car Wash Story. Former ICA Executive Director Gus Trantham and veteran commercial writer John Beck wrote this book in 1994. It represents the most complete history we have found of the industry in North America. Enjoy.

Chapter 19
The Fun of Carwashing

In the beginning, getting your car washed was something of an adventure. Sort of like taking a ride through the tunnel of love at the amusement park, except the cars had the pleasure of the ride while the owners gawked as best they could at their pride-and-joy’s being massaged by foamy brushes.

It was fun to get out of your car and watch the vacuum man leap in with his hose which inhaled grit and gravel as easily as you might smell a rose.

It was fun to see the rubber-attired steam man clunk around in boots re-releasing clouds of vapor as he worked over your headlights, grille, wheels and trim with his wand like a magician skilled at the art of exorcising tough dirt.

It was fun to see your car disappearing into curtains of water, foam and bristles as it rolled as though mesmerized without a driver into that tunnel of mystery.

It was fun to stroll along the walkway and peer through windows to observe your car being washed by a maze of mechanisms abetted by crews of mitters who occasionally glanced up at you and waved with a grin.

It was fun to see the skill of the attendant at the exit as he would catch the car as it rolled clear of the blower and conveyor to climb in and drive it out to the detailing area where teams of attendants waited with white towels in each hand and would wipe the car dry with long sweeping passes, and then detail the windshield and windows inside and out.

It was fun to get behind the wheel of your sparkling car and drive off with a vehicle that sounded quieter and felt more powerful as though rejuvenated in a kind of mechanical health spa that turned tired, dirty old cars into eager, shining new ones.

It is no exaggeration to say that when the word got around that there was a new automatic car wash opening up in an area, car owners flocked to them for a new experience.

From the standpoint of the operators, it was a great business to be in, because nobody seemed to enjoy the chore of washing their cars, but watching somebody else do it was fun.