Traditionally, the idea of a car wash has evoked images of large brushes cleaning along the sides, back and top of a car’s exterior. While this type of car wash works great and is still common, advancements in technology have given car wash businesses more options in the kind of wash they provide.
For businesses, investors and entrepreneurs interested in the car washing industry, the issue of “touch-free vs. soft-touch car wash” is increasingly paramount. While both options offer efficient cleaning capabilities and automatic wash elements, they have some important differences in equipment, materials, and operating costs.
Read on to learn about soft-touch vs. touch-free car washes and which would work best for your business needs.
How Soft-Touch Car Washes Work
Soft-touch car washes differ from touchless car washes by the amount of contact between the cleaning equipment and customers’ vehicles. A soft-touch car wash corresponds to the more traditional image of a contact car wash, particularly the classic tunnel car wash system. When a car goes through a soft-touch car wash, it will be touched by brushes, scrubbers and cloths.
These materials gently draw soap and cleaning agents across the vehicle’s exterior to wash away dirt and debris. Plus, soft-touch car washes typically use gentle materials, such as foam brushes, that allow for contact without the risk of scratching the car’s exterior or damaging the paint job.
Though they may be less advanced than touch-free car washes, soft-touch car washes have a few advantages.
Better for Eliminating Dirt
The contact between the car wash’s brushes and the vehicle’s exterior usually provides better results for thoroughly eliminating dirt and stains. This is especially true for the vehicle’s smoother surfaces, such as windows, doors, and roofs. However, the soft-touch washing process may have less efficacy in cleaning any car parts that jut out from a vehicle’s exterior. This includes things such as antennae, mirrors, and other loose parts.
Uses High-Pressure Water
Effective soft-touch car washes generally use high-pressure water to complement the foam brushes and other cleaning equipment. The combination of physical touch by gentle washing materials and a steady stream of high-pressure water usually results in a much more efficient and thorough cleaning of a vehicle’s exterior. High-pressure water can also prevent small pieces of debris, such as stones and pieces of asphalt, from getting stuck in the brushes and potentially scratching a car.
Better for an Undercarriage Wash
A car’s undercarriage often presents a logistical challenge for any car wash. Contact with a car by soft brushes and scrubbers usually provide much better cleaning of an undercarriage than a fully touchless system.
Soft brushes, particularly larger ones, can get underneath a car more effectively than simple streams of water and soap. As a result, this system can produce more effective cleaning of the entire car from top to bottom without leaving areas with residual dirt.
How Touch-Free Car Washes Work
If you have only worked with some soft-touch washing system variations, you may ask yourself, “What is a touchless car wash?” and “Can a touchless car wash actually work?”
As the name suggests, a touch-free car wash distinguishes itself from a soft-touch car wash by the amount of contact between a car’s exterior and the washing equipment.
A touch-free car wash cleans a car’s exterior solely through an automatic wash system of high-pressure streams of water, soap and cleaning agents, plus an automated air dryer. The car is never touched by cleaning equipment.
Typically Uses Automatic Wash Systems
Touch-free car washes are generally much more high-tech than soft-touch washes. They often use sophisticated sensors that guide the water and soap streams across a car. Since vehicles come in different shapes and sizes, these sensors ensure that the touchless water stream gets to every surface without missing any spots.
Reduces Chances of Exterior Damage?
One of the biggest benefits of touch-free car washes is a reduced risk of damage to a vehicle’s exterior. While contact between brushes – even soft ones – can potentially scratch or mark up a vehicle, a touchless stream of water and soap is usually safer.
However, there is also an argument that the detergents used in touchless car washes can be harsher to effectively remove dirt without physical agitation, which might not be ideal for everyone, depending on their preference for chemical exposure on their vehicle.
Doesn’t Always Provide Effective Washes
A big drawback of touch-free car washes is the potential for less effective washes. While soft-touch contact with a brush or scrubber can effectively clean larger areas, touchless water streams can miss a dirty patch. Touchless washing may also miss hard-to-reach areas on a vehicle, such as its undercarriage.
Knowing Which Cleaning Method Works Best for Your Car Wash
When deciding between a soft-touch and a touchless system for your car wash business, you have a few factors to consider. One is your target market. Are you in a neighborhood where large numbers of customers have new or new or newer cars? Are you located in a part of the country where cars and trucks get dirtier, for whatever reason?
There is always a balance between a thorough clean and protecting a car’s finish. There is not a consensus even among car owners which wash is best.
For a new car, some car owners alternate between touchless washes for regular maintenance and occasional detailed hand washes might be a balanced approach that an owner can use to keep your car looking great while preserving the paint.
Operating Costs
Also consider the operating costs involved in each system. While touchless car washes may help upscale your business, they are also usually more expensive to operate, due to the higher-tech equipment requirements of a touch-free car wash. Still, you can offset higher operating costs by implementing high-tech capabilities with a larger and lasting customer base.
No matter which car wash system you choose, you will need the best equipment and service to maximize your investment. NCS provides car wash businesses with industry-leading washing equipment, cleaning agents and customer support. So, whether you want a high-tech touchless wash system or a more traditional soft-touch approach, get in touch with NCS today to find the resources your business needs.
