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Car washer vs car wash attendant

The differences between car washers and car wash attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a car wash attendant has an average salary of $30,843, which is higher than the $28,701 average annual salary of a car washer.

The top three skills for a car washer include clean vehicle, customer satisfaction and cleanliness. The most important skills for a car wash attendant are visual inspections, menu options, and competent demeanor.

Car washer vs car wash attendant overview

Car WasherCar Wash Attendant
Yearly salary$28,701$30,843
Hourly rate$13.80$14.83
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs41,70249,512
Job satisfaction3-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 64%High School Diploma, 57%
Average age3838
Years of experience--

What does a car washer do?

A car washer is responsible for cleaning and polishing cars, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their tasks typically include vacuuming the interior parts such as seats and floors, discarding the trash, cleaning the windows and windshield from the inside and outside, applying soap solution to the car's exterior, scraping off dirt, and applying wax. They may also answer customer inquiries, provide cost estimates, and assist them as needed. Moreover, a car washer typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a car wash attendant do?

As a car wash attendant, they wash and polish car exteriors and interiors. They often clean tires, dust, drying, applying soap solutions, vacuuming car interiors, scraping loose specks of dirt, cleaning seats, and removing the trash on a car. This type of job requires reliability, communication, physical fitness, and customer service skills. Formal education is not fully required though most of them hold a high school diploma. However, their attention to detail and good customer service may increase their employment opportunities.

Car washer vs car wash attendant salary

Car washers and car wash attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Car WasherCar Wash Attendant
Average salary$28,701$30,843
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $35,000Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CitySan Jose, CABrentwood, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyWestsideCharles River Center
Best paying industryTransportationTechnology

Differences between car washer and car wash attendant education

There are a few differences between a car washer and a car wash attendant in terms of educational background:

Car WasherCar Wash Attendant
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 64%High School Diploma, 57%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Car washer vs car wash attendant demographics

Here are the differences between car washers' and car wash attendants' demographics:

Car WasherCar Wash Attendant
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 86.5% Female, 13.5%Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 4.4% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between car washer and car wash attendant duties and responsibilities

Car washer example responsibilities.

  • Manage to sweep and mop floor; clean bathroom and empty trash and dryer lint traps.
  • Change car oil and filters, wash and take care of the overall cleanliness of the client's cars.
  • Maintain the cleanliness of the showroom floor, windows, offices, bathrooms, and other parts of the facilities.
  • Operate POS register, perform opening/closing operations
  • Clean and pre-soak machines before use.

Car wash attendant example 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.
  • Inspect and maintain operation of all equipment including arches, guns, dryers, lights, chain, and vacuums.
  • Maintain facility cleanliness to standards.
  • Show more

Car washer vs car wash attendant skills

Common car washer skills
  • Clean Vehicle, 36%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 14%
  • Cleanliness, 13%
  • Vehicle Exterior, 6%
  • Customer Vehicles, 5%
  • Rental Cars, 4%
Common car wash attendant skills
  • Visual Inspections, 46%
  • Menu Options, 24%
  • Competent Demeanor, 7%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Cleanliness, 4%
  • Work Ethic, 3%

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