How To Become A Car Wash Attendant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a car wash attendant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Car Wash Attendant is committed to ensuring customers' satisfaction in the effective operation of a car wash facility. You are responsible for washing cars and performing other daily activities. You are to greet and welcome customers on their arrival and happily get to work on washing their car. You will ask them what they want and follow their instructions accurately. Your work involves protecting the vehicle while washing it.

Also, you have to have a good knowledge of cars and their operations. The car wash attendant also operates car levers and makes use of automated machines and tools that save time and ensure effective cleaning.

A car wash attendant is required to possess excellent customer service skills, physical strength, and fitness. You are also expected to have good communication skills, time management, and teamwork spirit. Good knowledge of different car types and parts will be needed for this role. You should have at least a high school diploma alongside training and experience in related occupations. The annual average salary for this position is $23,387.

ScoreCar Wash AttendantUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,843

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%

Asian 4.11%

Black or African American 12.50%

Hispanic or Latino 15.95%

Unknown 4.95%

White 61.62%

Gender

female 15.57%

male 84.43%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a car wash attendant

Explore car wash attendant education requirements

Most common car wash attendant degrees

High School Diploma

56.6 %

Bachelor's

14.9 %

Associate

14.4 %

Start to develop specific car wash attendant skills

Skills	Percentages
Visual Inspections	46.50%
Menu Options	23.78%
Competent Demeanor	7.27%
Customer Service	5.32%
Cleanliness	3.53%

Complete relevant car wash attendant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New car wash attendants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a car wash attendant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real car wash attendant resumes.

Research car wash attendant duties and responsibilities

Manage stock of the vehicles; document vehicle locations and individual VIN numbers.
Manage to sweep and mop floor; clean bathroom and empty trash and dryer lint traps.
Clean and service cars for Daimler Chrysler.
Make change for customer purchases, pre-soak customer cars, clean and scrub all machines and walls.

Prepare your car wash attendant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your car wash attendant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a car wash attendant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable car wash attendant resume templates

Build a professional car wash attendant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your car wash attendant resume.