The Detroit News reports that the first automatic car wash in the U.S. opened in 1946, appropriately enough, the painted sign on that building in the motor city read "First Automatic Auto Wash in the World, Established 1946."

Prior to the development of the automatic car wash, way back in the days of the sponge and bucket, two enterprising Detroit businessmen opened a car wash, where the car was brought into a line and pushed by hand through circular type of operation described as a "Merry-Go-Round." This was around 1914, and human power was required in pushing cars around the circle for the various phases of the car wash.

It is apparent that growth of the industry before World War I was slow-understandable considering the fact that before the war there were fewer than one million cars in the United States. After World War I, the number of automobiles leaped to five million, and by 1925, there were 20 million cars in the nation.

One of the industry's historians reports that around 1928 the idea of a mechanical, chain-pulled car wash evolved, resulting in the first true "conveyer" car wash. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and the involvement in World War II slowed technological development, so the car wash industry proceeded at a slow pace. However, after World War II, the industry grew quickly, and the need for a trade association was obvious.

So, in 1955, a group of 40 or 75 car wash professionals (depending on which historical documents you read) met at the Hotel Del Prado in Mexico City to officially form the Automatic Car Wash Association (ACWA). ACWA became recognized throughout the world for its activities on behalf of the industry. ACWA was later renamed the International Carwash Association (ICA).

As the self-serve segment of the industry evolved, an organization known as the National Carwash Council (NCC) came into being. Since there was no need (in the opinion of the majority of manufacturers and suppliers serving car wash operators) for two associations to serve the car wash industry, NCC merged with the International Carwash Association in the early 1980s to better serve all segments of the industry worldwide.

For a brief period of time after the merger, the group was called the International Carwash Association/National Carwash Council (ICA/NCC). But in 1985, by acclaim at the organization's International Convention & Exposition in Chicago, the name National Carwash Council was dropped and the association's name was abbreviated to International Carwash Association.

Through the years, the International Carwash Association’s membership increased. Just as the U.S. automobile industry grew from one million registered autos in the early years of the century to 135 million today, the professional car wash industry expanded from one automatic in 1946 to an estimated 22,000 car washes today, employing an estimated 500,000 people.

Because it is not unusual for one car wash to serve more than 100,000 customers a year (estimates put the industry average at 71,000 cars a year), entrepreneurs and investors now show great interest in the industry and follow their interest with investment. Today, those involved in car washing are just a small part of a multi billion dollar industry. Multiple ownership is prevalent and the car wash industry is heavily family-oriented. In fact, 90 percent of car wash facilities are operated by the owners themselves.

The International Carwash Association is the official voice of the industry, serving its members by publishing monthly newsletters, coordinating the Annual Car Care World Expo, providing marketing/public relations/advertising support, government relations, and serves as the industry liaison with automobile manufacturers.