How to Arrange a Car Wash in Your Garage

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How to Arrange a Car Wash in Your Garage

An auto wash in your garage is a perfect idea, allowing you to save money and time. You will never wait in a queue and control all the processes yourself. However, arranging a car wash in your garage can be quite complicated, as the place for storing vehicles is usually not constructed for such conditions and works. Meanwhile, there are several important steps to organize everything correctly.

In this article, we will tell you how to purchase matching equipment and accessories, choose chemistry and arrange your working space ergonomically.

Main tips for a perfect car wash

Without any doubt, it is not always possible to make a professional auto wash in a private garage, but it is quite real to organize a place convenient for your personal car washing needs.

  • First of all, you should choose and equip a place where the water supply and sewage system will be installed.
  • The floor should be made with a slight slope in the direction of a sand trap, where the largest particles should sink out. It is recommended to clean a sand trap when the need arises…

• A sewage system is connected to the sand trap and serves for polluted water diversion. If the sewage system is constructed correctly, your garage will not become damp, reducing the risks of corrosion for your vehicle and tools.
• Another essential point to ensure the acceptable moisture level is to install a sufficient ventilation system.
• The lighting is also an important point in organizing a washing zone. Equip your garage with both ceiling and wall lamps to have good visibility of your car from all sides.
• Never forget about your safety! It is recommended to use a transformer to reduce the network voltage when you work in damp conditions. If you are not going to buy a transformer then you should perform reliable moisture protection of all-electric devices, including sockets, lamps, switches and wires.

Choosing a good pressure washer

After organizing your garage space, think about purchasing a matching pressure washer. We offer you some recommendations in order not to be wrong about it.

• 120-130 bar pressure is perfect for car wash, but 70 bar is quite enough for home use. When you purchase a washer, it is recommended to check the efficiency of taking water from the tank if it is needed.
• High-pressure washers for home use usually consume 350-400 litres per hour. Professional models can consume 2-3 times more.
• Take into account that the higher the power, the more effective your washer is.
• Choose the unit with a heating function if your budget allows it. It will greatly influence the productivity and speed of work, especially in the cold season.
• When buying a washer, check the quantity and type of attachments available.
• It is better to choose a metal and collapsible pump, which makes it easy to replace details in case of malfunctions and overheating.
• Pay attention to the hose length. The longer the hose, the better your washer’s manoeuvrability is, as you’ll not need to pull the entire unit.
• Check all the components of your unit. It should include the washer itself, a spray gun, a hose and a tank for detergent.
• Consider the maximum allowed working time. If it is just 30 minutes, you shouldn’t keep your device in working condition longer than that. It can be overheated and damaged.
• Total-stop system is a perfect option for your washer. The water supply is stopped as soon as you release the gun handle. This option increases the lifespan of your device.
• Take into account the body material. The cheapest one is plastic, which has some advantages – it is light and is not damaged by corrosion. However, some kinds of plastic can be fragile. If the crack appeared, it will be impossible to fix it. Choose reliable brands only, which make their items durable and shock-resistant. Brass and aluminium washers are considered more durable, but also more expensive. Such materials are usually used for professional units.
• Purchase the units of reliable brands, like Sealey or Triace. The brands offer a wide range of products, and you will get first-class service and maintenance.

What detergents to choose

Thanks to a good pressure washer, you will not only clean your car very quickly but will avoid coating damage, which is usual in the case of traditional manual washing. Your pressure washer requires special detergents, which are also called “active foam”. Such cleansers are considered professional and don’t affect plastic parts and rubber seals, paint and chrome-plated surfaces.

The main difference between active foam from conventional detergents lies in its operation principle. Common cleansers partially dissolve dirt, soften and facilitate further washing. However, the solid abrasive particles, trapped on the surface, scratch the coating when you are washing with a cloth or sponge. The active foam, on the other hand, violates the adhesion between the dirt and the coating, making it ready just to wash the vehicle with a stream of water only. That is the reason why an active foam is so popular both for professional and private auto washes.

Besides its operation principle, an active foam has several other advantages:

• A high-quality detergent of this type is always environmentally safe. After it mixes with water, it completely decomposes. As a result, the cleanser is split into carbon dioxide and water, which are biologically safe substances.
• It can remove thick and old dirt without much effort. There is no need to be strong and tall to wash your car. Even a woman can handle this task in 10-20 minutes.
• Your hands and clothes are clean after you make the job, supposed to be dirty.

But be aware, if you wash your car with too high a foam concentration, you can damage the surface and make the coating matte. A similar result can be obtained if the foam contacts a car body for too long, or it is washed with a small amount of water, leaving the substance on the surface. If everything is done according to the directions, without any technology violations, there will be no negative consequences. Besides, it is recommended to test the new cleanser somewhere on a hidden part of the car body. If the paint faded after application or a whitish coating appeared, choose the foam with a lower alkali level.

Final Thought

When choosing a brand, remember that you buy your washer for specific needs. Do not overpay for some features that will never come in handy. So, if you are faced to pick up a unit for washing your personal car, pay attention to such reputable brands as Sealey, Triace, Annovi Reverberi and others. It is better to buy a basic model of a good manufacturer than a device with multiple functions of some nameless company, providing neither service nor maintenance. If you can’t choose the best matching pressure washer or some other equipment, contact our managers to get a comprehensive answer for all your technical questions.

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