My complimentary towel drying station...

[Car_Wash_Guy]

My first one was stolen. It was just a Sam's club wheeled cart with the clean towels on the top and clear rubbermaid bins on the bottom for the used ones.

My subsequent one I wasn't happy with the way it turned out. It was just a outdoor/yard storage bin with holes cut on the top to retrieve clean towels and deposit used ones.

What I didn't ike about both was that the clean towels were exposed to the elements. Blowing dust, weeds, lets as well as rain would soil a clean stack.

Here is my 3rd attempt.

Was a a metal gazebo that was marked down from $599 to $299 at Sam's Club. Marked it down to $199 when they scratched it some more ( I forgot to mention to them that the damaged parts weren't needed).

After a few days of cutting, welding, and touching up, I'm satisfied with the way it came out. I have some clear shower curtain to hang in the front if the towels get wet from rain.

 

[loewem]

Very nice. Are customers pretty good about returning the towels and not abusing them? I imagine that your wash is nice looking based on this pic. Would you mind sharing some more photos?

 

[APW]

Looks great!

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Thanks!

loewen - I ordered 200 from ERCwipe. As of last count, I think I've had 2 walk in 6 months. Although softer, I'm not sure the ERC towels are much more absorbent than the white ones I bought from Sam's.

Here are a few pics of the rest of my wash, along with the first attempt at a towel station.

 

[loewem]

Thank you for sharing the towel setup and additional pictures. The towel setup is very well done and a good idea. I need to work on doing that. All I can say about the additional pictures is, WOW!

 

[Washmee]

Thank God you stopped calling them rags in your new setup. I think people will treat them with a little more respect.

 

[BBE]

Are people usually good about pulling their vehicle OUT of the bay before using the towels? I could see that being an issue at one of our locations.

 

[Ric]

Nice looking wash. What's upstairs?

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Are people usually good about pulling their vehicle OUT of the bay before using the towels? I could see that being an issue at one of our locations.

Yes. Once in a while ( maybe 3x this year) I'll have someone on a hot day drying a car in the bay and if there are people waiting, I'll ask them to let the customer pull in. On slower days, I let them be.

Nice looking wash. What's upstairs?

3 BR/1BA apartment. It's nicer than my house, but I couldn't convince my wife to move up there with the kids!

 

[soapy]

Great looking wash and towel station. 20 years ago I started offering towels and learned that the towel station needs to be bolted down or cemented in. My last custom made stainless steel station cost me $1800. A guy recently backed into it and his insurance company is sending me a check for a new one since my HD cameras caught it all on video and we got his plates. He was from out of state. I loose about $150 worth of towels per month at my busiest washes but I feel it is well worth it to offer them. It is like a advertising expense IMO.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Great looking wash and towel station. 20 years ago I started offering towels and learned that the towel station needs to be bolted down or cemented in. My last custom made stainless steel station cost me $1800. A guy recently backed into it and his insurance company is sending me a check for a new one since my HD cameras caught it all on video and we got his plates. He was from out of state. I loose about $150 worth of towels per month at my busiest washes but I feel it is well worth it to offer them. It is like a advertising expense IMO.

Thanks! Your station pics inspired me to offer the service! I was considering buying a station from a hotel supply place, but they wanted $1,000+ for their composite units.

After my first one got stolen, I have my PTZ zoomed in on the station. Plus I have a dedicated license plate capture cam at the entrance. Luckily, I have minimal problems at my location.