Car detailing is emerging as a new business venture for young people in the United States. With low startup costs and car wash videos gaining popularity on social media, a growing number are even quitting school or their jobs to jump into the field.
Car detailing refers to a service that cleans the inside and outside of a vehicle to a much more precise level than a standard car wash. It begins with basic tasks such as using a vacuum to remove dust and debris from every corner of a vehicle's interior, and using a high-pressure washer to clean exterior contaminants.
Adding paint correction, which grinds away scratches and stains on the painted surface, and ceramic coating, which applies a coating agent for gloss and a protective layer, classifies it as a premium service, sending fees significantly higher.
Earning Thousands of Dollars in Monthly Profit
According to the Wall Street Journal on June 1, Benjamin Sheets, 22, of Salem, Ohio, dropped out of Kent State University in May while enrolled and began running a car detailing business in earnest from his parents' garage. He revealed that he earns 5,000 dollars (about 7.75 million won) in net profit each month from the work.
Sheets said he charges from 180 dollars for a basic package to clean a sedan, and that fees rise to 2,000 dollars when full protective coating is added. He is already booked two months out and is considering hiring assistant staff.
The spread on social media is also clear. Posts tagged with the "#cardetailing" hashtag on TikTok reach 1.8 million, and views of related videos have increased more than 30% over the past month.
Eric Ortiz, 27, of Miami told the outlet that in 2021 he quit a job earning 15 dollars an hour at an Amazon logistics center, then moved through food delivery before jumping into the car wash business.
He now operates with six employees, one store, and three vans, earning about 18,500 dollars (about 28.68 million won) in monthly net profit. As his social media following grew to around 940,000, he expanded into teaching and coaching, recruiting 600 students to secure an additional 50,000 dollars (about 77.5 million won) in monthly income.
Low Barrier to Entry Is the Biggest Draw
The industry sees the ability to start a business immediately with only equipment and no license as the biggest strength of the car detailing business.
Megan Poirier, president of the International Detailing Association, stressed that at the level of basic cleaning alone, one can load small equipment into a car and start operating right away. However, she added that premium services such as ceramic coating require a separate workspace and additional investment.
The education market is also growing. Nicholas Barco, who runs a three-day, 1,995-dollar training course in Pittsburgh, noted that inquiries from students nationwide have risen more than 50% over the past four years.
Kevin Liu, 33, of Everett, Washington, recalled that when his insurance sales fell into a slump early in the pandemic, he spent 500 dollars to buy car wash supplies and learned the skills from YouTube videos. Within five years, he opened a store with four employees and is now understood to earn about 8,000 dollars (about 12.4 million won) a month.
Seasonal Factors and Intensifying Competition Are Challenges
However, some point out that competition among businesses has already reached a considerable level.
Avery Bustin, 24, who runs a business in Montrose, Colorado, complained to the WSJ that new entrants launching low-price offensives flood in every spring. Having started a mobile business in 2023, he made enough profit within a year to open a store and buy an Audi.
Jessica Tran, 31, an influencer with 1.6 million TikTok followers active near Los Angeles, pointed out that demand for car detailing has seasonality, and that when oil prices spiked earlier this year, some mid-price customers cut back on spending.
The WSJ assessed the market situation, saying, "Going forward, the key will be how stably businesses can expand specialized services and revenue from education and content while withstanding the intensifying competition, seasonality, and consumer contraction from high oil prices that the low barrier to entry brings about."
