A car wash without water, is that even possible? Yes, the Irish company No-H2O proves. With clients like Europcar, Herz and Dublin airport they must be doing something right. CEO Emmet O’Brien wants to disrupt tradional car washing. “The car wash industry has not moved forward in 100 years.”

Many car washes pride themselves with water reduction. Either by using special nozzles, the reuse of cleaned wash water or smart software. Or a combination of the above.

Zero liters

At No-H2O, they took a more drastic step. They simply don’t use water at all. Zero liters. Their waterless products also get the job done. Without scratches, they promise.Their product is made from a scratch free formula which emulsifies the dirt particles. It has a positive charge in the product. Together with the negative charge from a microfibre cloth the dirt is encapsulated in the cloth, removing the dirt and leaving behind a polished finish.

And that’s not the only revolution No-H2O brought to the car wash industry. As a car owner, you have two options: either you take your car to the car wash or the mobile car wash comes to you. Simply download their app, choose a product and make an appointment. Not using water makes washing a lot simpler.

(text continues below video)

Dublin Airport

No-H2O started in Ireland in 2007. Within 15 years they became the car wash & detailing market leader in their own country. Dublin airport is one of their clients, saving over a million liters of water a year.

The company is also opening more and more washes across the globe. Recently they opened one in Boston, bringing the total amount of washes in the US to 15.
And the ambition doesn’t stop there. Carwashpro got in touch with CEO Emmet O’Brien to hear a bit more about the unique concept and the expansion plans.

Can you tell a bit more about the history of the company, the expansion to the US and its strategy?
“My background is a professional race driver, and I saw a waterless product being demonstrated at the race circuit! This was a light bulb moment for me – but being honest I didn’t think we would expand globally. We are in Europe, The Middle East, Australia and now one of our largest markets is in the US where we are seeing exponential growth.”

You want to disrupt the car wash industry, is one of your core values. Why is that so important?
“The car wash industry has not moved forward in 100 years, similar to the taxi industry until Uber came along and drove efficiencies into the industry. We are doing the same, we have introduced tech where a customer can book on demand through our app and we can wash anywhere, anytime – we can do this as we don’t use water or drainage, therefore driving efficiencies to customers in many different sectors – digital consumers, fleet management, corporates head-offices and so on.”

Apart from not using water, in what other ways does NoH20 differ from a regular car wash?
“First and foremost the No-H2O finish is unrivaled – we have come up against the best in the industry, the product and finish that No-H2O provides its customers rivals any carwash or product offering out there. There has been the misconception and myth that waterless car-washing scratches – we have overcome this and what proves that is now the big retail car care brands all have waterless products available.”

What do you say to clients who arrive skeptical at your company?
“We have been in business for 14 years! We are one of the fastest growing car care brands in the market and will continue this growth for the foreseeable future. Some of the biggest brands in the world trust No-H2O – BMW, Apple, Hertz and many more. No-H2O is approved for use on Boeing and Airbus aircraft – we pride ourselves in using the best product ingredients that are available. To the skeptics we offer a demonstration and usually that is enough to convince them to be a customer for life!”

You’ve just opened a new car wash in Boston. Can you tell a bit more about your ambitions in both the US and Europe?
“By the end of 2022 No-H2O will be in over 30 major metropolitans in the USA. We will continue to grow our franchise model and tech model, linking with strategic partners allowing us to grow rapidly. While still being the market leader in Ireland we have just set about expanding in Europe and have plans to penetrate a multitude of European markets in the next 24 months which will be headed up by our European team in Dublin.”