The German car wash company Mr. Wash opened a location in Bonn. The new car wash has three floors. This location should serve as an example for the future of car washes. The cost: 20 million euros.

The German company speaks of an ‘Ikeaisation’ of the car wash sector. Which Ikea you visit, the locations always have many similarities. And when you think of furniture, you think of Ikea. Richard Enning of Mr. Wash hopes for a similar effect for car washing. When you think of the car wash, you think of Mr. Wash.

Enning is one of two brothers on the board of the company. Mr. Wash was founded in 1964 by father Joseph in Essen. De company is currently planning further projects that will set new standards for car washes.

Three floors

In Bonn, customers can enjoy professional car care on three floors. On the ground floor you will find two parallel car washes that can accommodate up to 3,000 car wash customers per day. On the top floor, the interior cleaning takes place on a conveyor belt. Here the customers are offered a cozy atmosphere to bridge the cleaning time. The vacuum cleaner plaza is located in the basement. The location in Bonn has ‘only’ 5,800 square meters. A car wash of this size would normally require three times the surface area.

Customers enter the car wash through one of the three cash registers. The prices for laundry and interior cleaning are clearly visible there. The prices vary from nine euros to fifty euros. It is striking that the amounts are always round. That is a conscious choice. “If I want fifty euros, I don’t have to use pennies to fool the customer into thinking they are paying less,” explains Richard Enning. This has another advantage for the company and the staff at the cash registers. More than half of Mr. Wash pays in cash. Thanks to the round amounts, the staff does not have to count and change change – which in turn saves time.

Every thirty seconds

Time plays a major role in the Mr. Washes. The conveyor belts determine the working speed of the employees. The use of the system is visible to the employees on screens at all times. From a purely mathematical point of view, a clean vehicle leaves the car wash every thirty seconds.

The Enning brothers want their companies to be as successful in the car wash market as Ikea is in the furniture industry. For this it is important that they recognize the wishes of the customer and make a suitable offer. This is reflected, for example, in the free option to check the tire pressure at the self-service vacuum cleaner stations. This service has already been paid for in Germany at many gas stations. In particular, the covered self-service hall at the Bonn location should provide customers with a pleasant environment in which to clean their car. With 45 self-service vacuum cleaner spots, customers have plenty of space and hot water at their disposal. Following the idea of ​​meeting customer requirements, Mr. Wash also developed and patented unique vacuum cleaners.