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Michigan, holds the honor of being the very first location to host a car wash. Automated Laundry began operations in 1914 in the Motor City, Detroit, and despite the name used absolutely no automated systems. Cars were pushed through a garage manually where workers hand-washed the exterior and polished brass components. It was simple, but the concept proved popular among wealthy residents and in the next twenty years 32 similar washes opened up across the United States.
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Car washes innovated during the first half of the 20th century, most (but not all) relying on automated pulley systems that hooked under front pumpers, pulling the car through a product-line style hand washing bay. In the 1920s the Chicago Auto Bowl is noteworthy for using conveyor belt floors taken from factories, overhead sprinklers, and a large cleaning pool where drivers would drive in circles to clean mud from tires.
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In 1940, the first “automated” conveyor-style car wash was opened in Hollywood, California. This new style of wash was “automated” in that a winch system was used to pull the car being washed through the cleaning tunnel. Workers were still present in the tunnel to soap, rinse, and dry the car. Font - aquabio.co
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Anderson brothers opened the first hands-free automatic car wash in Seattle, Washington. This car wash used machines to do all of the work, including pulling the cars through the tunnel and soaping, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying the vehicles. Font - aquabio.co
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1969 was also the year that June and Sonny Essenburg began the very first Quality Car Wash on 17th street in Holland, Michigan—a car wash enterprise that would eventually lead to the development of Tommy Car Wash Systems.
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Today’s car washes are becoming more environmentally friendly with the introduction of milder soaps, technology that requires less water and energy to operate, and water recycling systems that allow up to 95% of used wash water to be reused in the future washes. With the high demand for car washes, it is likely that the car wash of today will be unrecognizable in 50 years.