Sgt. Clean Car Wash's 9-minute interior cleaning

I have a confession to make. I get my car washed at least twice a week. It’s often my go-to, feel-good stop during my daily commute. Because I signed up for membership at Sgt. Clean Car Wash, I enjoy unlimited washes. And ever since the team completed the remodel of its Green location, it’s become a guilty pleasure of mine to zip through the members’ lane any time I want.

That said, as much as I enjoy spending time in the new vacuum plaza—sweeping my car’s floors, wiping the dash with their freshly washed towels, and using the detail air gun to get all those little bits my two lovely mess-creators (children) leave behind—I usually don’t have the time to get the clean I really want. 

During my last car wash, I had a chance to speak with company CEO, long-time Canton-area resident and 40-year car washing veteran Ken Brott about the second phase of his renovation, and I fell in love with what they’re doing.

“Your experience is all too common,” Ken says. “Many customers say they love having a clean interior, but don’t have the time to dedicate to doing the inside justice. It’s a problem we wanted to solve, and we’re thrilled to now be able to offer a service that cleans the interior for you—in under nine minutes.”

Ken invited me to try his new Interior Clean service, and I jumped at the chance. 

How It Works

When we pulled my vehicle into the new facility, I was greeted by a friendly team member who asked me to put my car in park and turn off the engine. I got out and headed over to the onsite coffee bar to pour myself a complimentary cup. I watched as my car was automatically loaded onto a wide conveyor and the Sgt. Clean staff took quick action, just like a NASCAR pit crew. First, they removed my floor mats and used a mat cleaning machine to lift the dirt and grime. Next, they cleaned my windows, dashboard and console. Lastly, they wiped down my door jambs and vacuumed my seats and floors before giving me my keys and watching me drive off happy.



It all happened so fast; I didn’t even have a chance to finish my coffee.

“Many car washes have moved away from the old-school ‘full-service’ model, where you schedule an appointment to have the interior cleaned,” Ken explains. “People lead busier lives these days and don’t have time to spend waiting for someone to work on their car for an hour or two while they wait in a lobby. People still need a clean interior, but no company could handle the service quickly enough to fit into their busy schedules. It’s a need we think we’ve addressed by developing a standardized process for every vehicle that visits. If you imagine a quiet manufacturing factory floor, you’ll see repeatable processes that produce the same result every time. That’s what we’re after.”

European Inspiration

As we toured the brand-new facility located next to the car wash, I asked Ken how he came up with this idea. “There are a handful of operators across the country who provide interior cleaning similar to what we’re doing,” he answers. “They all got their inspiration from two groups—the Dutch and the Germans. So, our team hopped on a plane and met with many of the top operators overseas. They’ve been doing this for over a decade, and they’ve come close to perfecting it. We visited dozens of their locations and took inspiration from many of their best practices.”

“We put our heads together and landed on a hybrid model between what the Dutch and German groups are doing,” Ken adds. “Even though we’re cleaning your interior in nine minutes, you’re getting an hour’s worth of cleaning time. Having six to eight team members working on your vehicle at once allows us to do a thorough job in a very short amount of time.”

After seeing this service in action, it really did remind me of a clean, well-run factory assembly line. The team worked in unison as the conveyor carried my vehicle from one end of the facility to another. It also reminded me of a scene in the Michael Keaton movie about McDonald’s called “The Founder,” in which employees practice making cheeseburgers and everyone has a choreographed role to play at just the right time. It’s evident Ken and his team have done their homework.

“We’re excited to bring Interior Clean to the Green area,” Ken says. “The feedback from our members has been wonderful, and they’re excited we now offer this service. I must admit, because this is a brand-new service, we’ve had a hard time explaining to folks exactly what it is we’re doing. I find myself trying to describe it to friends, and I see them look at me like I’m not making sense. It’s something you need to see for yourself to understand.”

Sgt. Clean has 16 locations in Northeast Ohio, including the newly renovated car wash and Interior Clean tunnel at 3673 Massillon Road in Green/Uniontown. For more information, visit SgtClean.com.