On the other hand, Pecora continues, hog’s hair brushes have a much greater bend and recovery ability and also provide a softer touch to the vehicle. The natural fibers retain their original shape far better when bent at a 90-degree angle, and they will almost always recover to their original shape.
Brush maintenance
No one wants to see a grimy brush, least of all a customer. Whether you have tunnel/in-bay automatic (IBA) brushes or self-serve ones, you need to keep them well-maintained and replace them when needed. Let’s delve into the signs of worn-out brushes and how you can keep them in optimal condition.
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Self-cleaners
As the equipment that makes direct contact with vehicles, you want to make sure that your brushes are clean. Luckily, the applications of soap and water during the wash will also keep your brushes clean — assuming your titrations are correct. According to Robert Pecora, president of Erie Brush & Manufacturing, you first need to make sure that the vehicles are doused with a generous application of high-lubricity cleaning solution. Then, be sure that every brush has water flushing regularly through its material.
“With the right combination of chemical, water and the rotation of the spinning brushes, the sand/grit/dirt will not cling to the washing material,” Pecora states.
As a result, brushes don’t really need regular hosing down like other parts of the wash do. Sam Hadeed, co-owner of iWash Technology, states, “Most carwash owners don’t clean their brush material. Ones that do will take the time to remove them and pressure wash them. If hydraulic oil leaks on the material, most will use Dawn soap with the pressure cleaning.” He adds that some customers do use a pressure washer and chemicals to clean mitter curtains, however.
The lifespan of a brush will depend on several factors, but you do have control over many of them. On average, according to Hadeed, cloth brushes should last for at least 200,000 cars, and foam should last twice as long. Again, this will vary depending on the type and condition of the vehicles that you expect to wash.
To that end, Pecora notes three main factors within your control to help determine the life of your brushes:
- Brush revolutions per minute: How fast the brush rotates and how firmly it pushes against the vehicle are the main factors determining brush life.
- Lubricity: “I have seen a large difference in brush wear based on how much soap an operator applies to the vehicle, which reduces friction,” Pecora explains.
- Wash material type, density and cut: While softer material generally doesn’t last as long as harder material, it does clean much better.
On a general note, Hadeed adds, “When the overall material wingspan on the brush has worn more than 5 inches, it is near the end of its lifespan.”
To repair or replace?
If a tunnel/IBA brush gets damaged, the culprit is often a runaway vehicle or poor maintenance on the operator’s part. Sometimes though, unusually shaped vehicles with abnormally large side mirrors, for instance, can dig too deeply into the brush material and substantially advance the wear. Vehicles with odd attachments can also rip off brush fingers if they get caught and can’t come loose.
“Having a sophisticated brush design with smaller, replaceable sections will allow an operator to replace only the damaged sections at a far lower cost than replacing the entire brush,” Pecora states.
Hadeed agrees, assuming that the cores are in good shape and that the material panels slide out with ease. As such, you should inspect your brush cores for excessive wear, cracking or damage, and if they show these signs, you need to replace the cores immediately to avoid damaging customer vehicles.
“Installing the highest quality aluminum, corrosion-resistant cores that are appropriate to the material being inserted in the channel can extend lifespan,” Pecora states. “It is not unusual for cores to last 10 years or more. Not all aluminum is the same, nor is the material being inserted into the channel. With the highest quality materials, the individual brush pieces — cloth or foam — should slide in and out of the channel easily. By not having to change the core and only replacing the worn material, this saves time and money.”
However, another thing that happens to brush cores, according to Hadeed, is that sewn panel attachments get stuck and damage the cores over time. Again, both the panels and the core would need replacing at this point. As an alternative, Hadeed notes there are new manufacturing designs available for c-channel cloth and foam that are not sewn onto a plastic extrusion, which makes it easier to slide panels in and out of a core, thereby extending its life.
Or, he adds, you can also go with the coreless route. “An operator can choose to use new technologies that are available today … such as coreless panels, which stack flat, that can be configured in many different stack patterns and contours. [An] example is configuring a helix (screw-shape), so dirt and grime can be washed in a downward motion,” Hadeed elucidates.
Types Of Car Wash Brushes
Surprisingly, there is no such thing as an all-around car brush for washing. It’s no wonder there are different types of car wash brushes in the market. And each brush has its specific purpose. These include:
Interior soft car wash brush
As the name suggests, this type of car wash brush is designed for cleaning the interior of your car. It features soft bristles to help you remove dirt and grime from your vehicle’s door panels, seats, and seat covers. In addition, it boasts a short handle for added convenience when you’re using it.
Long and short-handled brush
A long-handled car wash brush is built to help you clean the hard-to-reach spots of your car like your vehicle’s roof. Generally, most long-handled brushes feature an extended or telescoping handle with soft bristles. This way, you can easily adjust their length. Moreover, this type of brush often comes with hose attachment option which makes your cleaning task easier.
A short-handled brush, on the other hand, is best suited for cleaning small and tight spots of your car such as the nooks and crannies inside your vehicle’s wheels.
Microfiber car cleaning brush
A microfiber brush is considered one of the best car wash brushes and for good reasons. First, the microfiber tends to naturally attract dirt particles and other contaminants. Therefore, you can use this brush to clean the roof and other hard-to-reach areas of your car.
Flow-thru wash brush
This is a unique type of car wash brush that is quite efficient at removing dirt from your car just like soft-cloth car washes. The brush provides you with consistent water flow through its handle or pole. Consequently, this allows you to clean any dirt and grime off your car with so much ease. This type of brush also comes with soap dispenser which makes your car washing task easier as you don’t need to apply the shampoo using another stuff. Just fill the soap container with soap and let the brush work for you.
Self-serve wash brushes
Self-serve brushes are quite common in self-service car washes. This type of brush is what your customers see and touch when they come to your car wash. So, under this category, you might find a short or long-handle brush, a flow-thru brush, and a microfiber brush.
Drill-attached car wash brushes
For this type of brush, you just attach your car wash brush to a power drill. This provides you with a more powerful brushing motion. As such, cleaning the headlights, the grill areas, and around the license plate becomes easier.
How to Clean a Car Wash Brush?
Not all car wash brushes are built equally. This means that even how you clean one type of brush may be different from how you clean another one. So, in this section, we will look at the steps on how to clean different types of car wash brushes.
Most modern wash brushes feature soft bristles to ensure they don’t scratch your car. It does not matter whether you are using a long-handle brush or a drill-attached brush. So, here are steps on how to clean these types of car wash brushes.
Step 1: Gather your supplies
For starters, you will need a couple of supplies to help in cleaning your car wash brush. These include a bucket, towel, clean water, dirt trap, vinegar, liquid washing detergent, and baking soda.
Step 2: Pour several drops of detergent onto the brush
Next, pick your liquid washing detergent and drizzle several drops onto your wet car wash brush. Then, gently scrub your brush against your dirt trap to loosen up the soft bristles and remove any dirt.
Step 3: Deep cleaning
If your car wash brushes are not clean to your satisfaction, you will need to use baking soda and vinegar solution for deep cleaning. Pour two cups of undiluted white vinegar in your bucket and a 1/2 cup baking soda. Stir the solution so you have a consistent mixture.
Step 4: Soak your brushes
After making your baking soda and vinegar solution, the next step is to soak your brushes in the mixture. For wheel brushes, you can soak them overnight in the solution to remove all the traces of grease. But for normal car wash brushes, you just leave them in the mixture for a couple of hours.
Final step: Rinse your brushes
Lastly, get clean and warm/hot water to rinse all of your brushes. Then, shake them well to get rid of any excess water. After that, get a clean towel and set your car brushes on it with the bristles facing down. Leave them to air dry.
Cleaning a Microfiber Car Brush
When it comes to cleaning a microfiber car wash brush, the process is a little different compared to that of a brush with soft bristles. So, here is how to go about it.
Step 1: Gather your cleaning solutions
Cleaning your microfiber car brush is quite easy. You just need a bucket of clean water, mild detergent, and a clean soft-bristled brush.
Step 2: Start cleaning
In a bucket, put hot water and add a few drops of your mild detergent. Then, take your soft-bristled brush and start cleaning your microfiber brush.
Step 3: Rinse the detergent off
After you have cleaned all the dirt from your microfiber brush, rinse the detergent off. Then, place it on a clean surface and leave it to air dry.
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