Brush up on brush maintenance
What is going to touch a customer’s vehicle most often in a car wash? That’s right, the brushes that will clean the vehicle as it proceeds through the tunnel.
As with every other mechanism and system in a car wash, the brushes need to be inspected and maintained. There are several reasons for that. The most obvious is that well-maintained brushes enhance the wash experience first on an aesthetic level—clean, bright brushes are visually appealing to vehicle owners suggesting the care that car wash facilities take in cleaning vehicles—and to maintain optimal cleaning operations.
PRO TIP: In today’s car wash market, the two most common brush types are cloth and foam. Regardless of which is being used in the tunnel, it’s important to maintain brush longevity even before the brushes touch the vehicle. That is when the vehicle is being prepped to go into the wash. That prep work may involve having staff take high-quality prep brushes and scrub the exterior of the vehicle, getting into those hard-to-reach places, such as grills, wheel wells, license plates and even under the vehicle’s wipers; or to take a minute to use spray-guns to soak and vehicle and add a cleaning solution to help start the cleaning process. Doing so will remove harsher particles and dirt and grime that can both damage a vehicle’s surface— leaving micro or large scratches—and can harm the brushes themselves over time.
PRO TIP: Make sure there is adequate water and solutions reaching the brushes, as this ensures that the brushes do the job of cleaning the vehicles, but also keeps the brushes themselves properly lubricated.
PRO TIP: Check with the manufacturer of the brushes to set the RPMs. Today’s brushes are made from more durable and much lighter materials than earlier ones. As such, they do not need to be spun at the higher RPMs that were common years before. And because today’s foams and cleaners are more efficient, one can run today’s brushes at lower speeds, creating a quieter and more pleasing cleaning experience, and allowing the foams and cleaners to do a better job of producing a cleaner and much shinier car at the end. Running the brushes at the recommended speeds also keeps them from wearing out prematurely or becoming damaged.
PRO TIP: One also needs to do regular inspections of the brushes as well. Nothing beats taking time at the end of the day to have the staff, as they clean and tidy up the tunnels and inspect the brushes. Jason Ugent, owner of Erie Brush & Manufacturing Corp. in Chicago, Ill. says that staff should do inspections of brushes at the end of each day to catch problems early. “And it is safe to say that [brushes] should be washed down each day as well, at a minimum, and given a careful and thorough cleaning every month right down to the core.”
PRO TIP: Serko Kirikian, owner of Neoglide by Kirikian Industries in Trenton, N.J. says car wash operators also need to keep in mind how cloth brushes and foam brushes wear over time to know what to look for. “Foam does not wear like cloth,” he continues. “With cloth, the tips of the cloth fingers will wear back little-by-little. Foam typically does not wear. Instead, it will break all the way to the base. So, what you want to do is look at the foam right down to the base where it connects to the drum to see that everything is alright.”
PRO TIP: Kirikian recommends a monthly deep cleaning of the brushes with a cleaner that will remove any dirt and other debris that may accumulate on the brushes, as well as careful inspection of the sprayers that send water onto the brushes to make sure they are not clogged or rusted.
PRO TIP: Ugent says that like all other pieces of equipment in a car wash, brushes will need to be replaced: Depending on the volume of vehicles cleaned during a year, brushes may need to be replaced every 12 to 18 months, or every 150,000 vehicles. “That is why that visual inspection is important,” Kirikian adds. “Even with foam brushes, you can get say 150,000-200,000 cars going through your operation before they need to be replaced. Only every car wash operation is different, so the regular visual inspection becomes important. If you see that your brushes are getting dark or dirty, then it may be time to replace them before that 150,000. You really want to change the brushes before that wear point to maintain good operations and cleaning.”
This article first appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of OCTANE.
Inspection checklist
Daily: A basic visual inspection to see the condition of the brushes, sprayers, and the overall condition of the tunnel.
Weekly: During a weekly inspection, staff should physically examine the brushes. Look for any wear or fraying of the cloth or cracks in the foam. Take particular care to examine the core to see if the cloth or foam components are secure.
Monthly: Again, examine the cloth fingers of the brush and foam components; clean them thoroughly and look for any signs of rust on the core, loose components, and wear.
