Buy-in to a Better Backroom

A clean, organized backroom is critical to your carwash’s success

By Matt Higgins

The age-old question, “If a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound” has a counterpart in the carwash industry.

If a customer never sees your backroom, does it matter if it’s clean and organized?

We can’t definitively respond to the tree/sound question, but when it comes to your backroom’s cleanliness, the answer is a resounding yes.

Though all the action and customer focus are on your tunnel or bay, the backroom is truly the heartbeat of your operation. Utilizing a smart layout and keeping it neat and tidy can seriously enhance your operation.

The ‘Why’

There are countless reasons why an orderly backroom is important to the success of any carwash. At the top of that list is a familiar saying – safety first.

“The cleaner a backroom is, the less chance for injury,” said Chris Fritter, Sonny’s national sales manager for backroom and water equipment. “It’s important to eliminate tripping hazards, slippery floors, and anything else that might be a safety concern. A simple cleaning schedule will go a long way to keeping employees safe.”

In addition to safety, keeping things clean helps identify issues when something goes wrong. If your backroom is typically a mess, problems will blend in rather than stand out.

“If a backroom is extremely clean and tidy, I can identify leaks, problems, and maintenance concerns much quicker,” Fritter said. “If the floor is dirty and cluttered, it’s really hard to pinpoint leaks.”

Lastly, a neat, organized backroom will make a difference to anyone performing work at your wash, especially outside partners and suppliers.

“Customers won’t see your backroom, but vendors definitely will,” Fritter said. “You’ll have people back there for chemical deliveries, salt deliveries, maintenance techs, and more. The cleaner and more organized your backroom is, the better those vendors can serve you.”

The ‘How’

Now that we know why a clean, clutter-free backroom is important, let’s discuss how you can achieve it. It starts with the layout. If you can thoughtfully arrange and position your equipment, it improves your operation. Set things up in order of operation and be thoughtful about the best position for each piece of equipment, so it interacts with the tunnel as efficiently as possible.

“A couple of examples are the site booster pump and reclaim system,” Fritter said. “Ensure the site booster pump is as close as possible to where the city water main enters the building – that will reduce the piping needed throughout the backroom. And if you’re using reclaim, mount the machine on the wall closest to the carwash. That way, you don’t have to run pipes along the ground or up above to reach the tunnel.”

It’s also critical to position equipment that needs regular attention correctly so it’s accessible and easy to work on.

“Water softeners are a big one,” Fritter said. “Position them where the brine tank is accessible so you can maintain the proper salt level. They’re always tucked behind other items and impossible to get to, which makes it really challenging for your employees to refill. It’s even better if you ensure there’s space next to it to store a pallet of salt.”

Chemistry and chemical dispensing offer ways to reduce your clutter and keep things clean. Consider highly concentrated chemicals to reduce the volume of chemistry in use and in storage. Also, the chemical storage/delivery containers and chemical dispensing solution you select can have a big impact on space and organization.

“Chemical storage containers – like Bullseye – make for cleaner installs, refills, and management,” Fritter said. “A chemical dispensing system – like Aqua-Lab 3 – really improves the look and organization of a backroom as opposed to a bank of individual dispensing pumps for each application. Those types of solutions can really cut back on clutter and make everything more efficient.”

Other products have been specifically designed to reduce chaos in the backroom by organizing air lines, water lines, and other specific applications into compact, visually appealing, easy-to-use manifolds. Instead of pipes and hoses running everywhere, they can be routed in a clean, direct path from each manifold directly to where they’re needed in the tunnel.

“Instead of having lines running everywhere, products like Air-Link and Water-Link manage all those lines in a much cleaner manner,” Fritter said. “Products like that really save on wall space from previous manifolds and ensure much better organization of your pipes and lines.”

Another way to improve your backroom is to prioritize and plan for the storage of all the other miscellaneous items your wash needs.

“Consider a storage shed on the property to store all your cleaning and maintenance equipment,” Fritter suggested. “Or at least condense down where and how you store those items and make sure it’s organized and consistent. Also, consider adding shelving or lockers for employees to store personal items.”

Backroom Pride

Beyond all the layout tips, storage solutions, and equipment upgrades that can dramatically impact your backroom’s organization, there’s one more essential ingredient that will always ensure you’ve got a backroom you can be proud of – hard work.

“Implement a daily and weekly cleaning and maintenance checklist,” Fritter recommended. “If you maintain your equipment, keep your backroom organized, and inspect for leaks on a regular, consistent schedule, your backroom will always stay in great shape, and it’ll be a positive for your whole operation.”

In the carwash industry, attention to detail matters. Customers – and employees – have more choices than ever, so paying attention to the little things goes a long way.

“Show pride in your backroom,” Fritter said. “It’ll make everything cleaner, better, and more organized, and that pride will carry throughout your entire wash.”

Matt Higgins is a senior marketing manager at Sonny’s.
For more information visit SonnysDirect.com or call 800-327-8723.