You enter the dark tunnel.

It hisses as it seemingly comes alive.

The mechanical sounds whir and breathe while teeming water drums over the roof.

No, this isn't a medieval or intergalactic adventure – even if it sounds or feels like one for a moment.

You're just sitting in your car while going through a car wash tunnel. And you're not alone. This is an experience shared by the drivers of an estimated 45,750 vehicles going through single tunnel car wash operations annually.

The car wash industry has seen significant growth trends over the past two decades and has stood out in the industrial cleaning ingredients space. The United States alone accounts for 43% of the industry's total net worth. It's no surprise, as Americans have always loved their cars (with car culture heavily infused into music, movies, and custom auto shows that cumulatively draw millions of attendees annually) and invest in keeping their vehicles looking as sleek and new as possible.

The automatic car wash evolution

A star was born in 1940 in Hollywood, California. The first precursor of the modern tunnel car wash business began with an automatic conveyor car wash that used workers to soap and dry the vehicles. A year later, the first hands-free automatic car wash business started using machines to do the work in Seattle. Their popularity exploded throughout the following decades with tunnel washes that used automated mechanical cleaning with nylon bristles and brushes. 

Since then, technological advancements such as foam brushes, soft cloth applicators, and modern touchless car washes have made automatic car wash systems more efficient and less abrasive for vehicle paintwork.

How does a tunnel car wash work?

There is no one-size-fits-all model for automatic car tunnel washes. Owners usually consider factors such as location, competition, equipment costs, their target market, and their vision for the customer experience when building their car wash drive-through facilities. These variables can be highly differentiated.

Other deciding factors include tunnel length, wash time, the system’s agitation, and whether the water is softened (most tunnel car washes use softened water, but occasionally some use hard water if it's legally permitted). Seasonal and regional considerations are also vital when owners work on their car wash business plans for designing layouts and selecting chemical products.

Typically, standard tunnel washes rely on equipment and technology for a drive-through service – specifically, a conveyor belt that pulls each vehicle through the washing tunnel and uses a combination of cleaning chemicals, mechanical friction, and high pressure to clean and dry the car thoroughly. 

Car wash conveyors can vary in length depending on the number of applications used. From the initial presoaking to drying, the whole process is designed to be performed in just a few minutes from start to end and mostly without supervision, which means less expense for owners when it comes to staffing.

Automated car wash tunnel maintenance

In addition to cleaning hundreds of vehicles daily, car wash management must also take measures to provide the best cleaning care for the facility itself. After all, no customer feels confident that their vehicle will look better after pulling into a car wash with dirty tunnel walls. Beyond an ideal business practice, proper maintenance can drastically improve a tunnel car wash's life expectancy and equipment (usually a 10-year life cycle).

Applications that use enzymes and microbes to clean the wraps are now available, which reduces the amount of preventative maintenance. Mechanical action also improves when facilities do not use dirt-laden brushes to clean the car. Car wash owners must also stock up on cleaning supplies such as laundry detergents to clean the microfiber towels used for drying, glass cleaner for the facility's windows, and concrete cleaner to scrub the tunnel car wash walls.

Sustainability and the future of automatic car wash operations

Compared to other global industries, the car wash space has needed to be faster to adopt sustainable solutions, mainly due to the cost-effectiveness of some frequently used chemistries (such as phosphates to chelate). However, considerable strides are rapidly advancing throughout the industry, especially with tunnel car washes and their universal usage of water reclaim systems. While water reclaim systems are primarily optional, they are also legally required in some areas. As car washes face climate challenges, many owners have turned to solar power and LED lighting. Some facilities even use sonar technology to customize the wash based on the vehicle size, reducing waste and the amount of water used! 

The industry is moving away from inexpensive – but potentially harmful – chemicals like hydrofluoric acid toward greener, phosphate-free products and sustainable solutions such as biodegradable surfactants and Beyond Green Cleaning products, which are 100% natural and eco-friendly. Sustainability is becoming a more critical tenet among consumers than ever, especially for Gen Zers and millennials. Customers want to be sure the businesses they support and the services they use do not negatively impact the environment or drain community resources. They are even willing to pay more for sustainable options to avoid doing so. By already taking steps toward a greener future, the tunnel car wash industry is well-positioned to continue thriving.