Friction Wash Vs Touchless Wash

In pursuit of the cleanest car for the best value, carwash consumers in North America have a choice between touchless and friction.

While touchless washing has been the preference over the past two decades, the improvement in soft-touch technology has operators rethinking the whole scenario. By providing both a high-pressure touchless and friction wash in the form of a soft touch automatic, the professional operator can satisfy both consumer desires.

This gives them a broader customer base to draw upon and allows them to appeal to both types of consumers.

The selling price of the washes offered may be similar between technologies, but the choice is clearly friction.

Soft-touch systems utilize less water and chemical.

This because the closed-cell foam brushes are doing the cleaning instead of the chemical reaction that must take place with a touchless system, and the volume of high pressure water needed to clean with touchless technology. A soft-touch system will use as much as 50 percent less water and chemical in some cases, to provide the same level of cleaning as a touchless wash.

 

Out With The Old

Many of the earlier friction systems did not utilize treated water, however it is essential to soften the water with either system now, if you want to offer the highest quality wash.

What we have learned over the past 30 years is that you can’t starve the system of water and chemical and expect to provide a high quality wash or even an acceptable wash quality. Consequently, brush technology declined because wash quality suffered, reliability failed and the brushes were harmful to the vehicle.

The reason for friction’s resurgence today is due to the brush material manufacturer’s softer side. Brush material is made from composite foam that is not harmful to the vehicle. The wash quality is increased.

All foam used within the carwash industry today is classified as closed-cell, meaning the material does not absorb water. This non-absorbent feature actually creates a vacuum between the foam and the vehicle’s surface which generates a great deal of friction. The greatest amount of friction results in an enhancement or polishing effect seen on the vehicle’s surface.

The foam material is also lighter in weight which results in less wear and tear on the equipment. Its elongation/tensile strength characteristics are such that a finger or strand of the foam material will tear away before damaging a vehicle.

Another key benefit of foam is that the brushes can withstand more wash cycles than their cloth counterparts.

Rollover units that include a top brush made of composite material maintains a constant weight so it can be easily adjusted by pressure settings allowing total control of the system. Soft touch advancements allow for more precise cleaning and contouring of the vehicle from top to bottom, side to side.

The top brush rotation and speed is also adjustable to suit various cleaning conditions. Top brush technology allows for safe cleaning of vehicles with spoilers and roof racks. The rotation and direction of the top brush is also adjustable allowing for cleaning in both directions of the path the top brush travels.

Regardless of size, shape and length of vehicle being washed, today’s friction systems gently rollover the vehicle to provide higher quality and safer washes than brush systems of the past.

Consumer acceptance is greater because quality and value outweigh the possibility of damage. Not only do the new friction systems provide a safe, high quality soft-touch wash, but some incorporate touchless technology to provide a hybrid, combination wash.

High pressure technology is incorporated which works concurrent to the brushes to further advance the cleaning process and extend the cleaning effectiveness of the brushes.

The recent popularity and advancement of soft-touch technology has in-bay carwash equipment manufacturers prioritizing the development of soft-touch brands and has tunnel equipment providers incorporating rollover technology again in their full-service systems.  Foam brush technology is prevalent in car washing today because “it reduces damage to zero.”