Mr. Wash Car Wash now open in Rehoboth

After an extensive $1 million renovation, Mr. Wash Car Wash is now open in Rehoboth Beach.

Located at the former Rehoboth Car Wash on Hebron Road, the business is now owned by the Harris family, which has been professionally washing cars in and around the Washington, D.C. area since 1958. Started by Bob Harris, who died last year at 93, the company is now run by son Steve and grandson Nathan. The Rehoboth location is the company’s seventh and first in Delaware.

Steve said Mr. Wash came to Rehoboth because the ocean environment – snow, salt air, sand, fog – presents an opportunity for their service.

“There’s a lot of traffic, and we saw the potential,” said Steve during a recent on-site interview. “The goal is to bring the same fast and excellent service to Rehoboth that our customers have come to expect at our other locations.”

The family purchased the property in September, promptly closing it down to begin the renovation. From the entrance arms at the beginning, to the drying wheels with high-tech cloth at the end, the washing experience has been completely overhauled. Nathan said the tunnel itself is 10 feet longer on each end to accommodate the new equipment.

Viewing windows remain in place, and while watching the process the new owners were excited to show off technology allowing the high-pressure sprayers to follow the contour of the car, maximizing cleanliness.

Steve said all the equipment is the latest in car wash technology, which, he said, means customers get an excellent cleaning in a matter of minutes. Nowadays, he said, people have things to do, and this technology gets people in and out quickly.

Mr. Wash does not offer the interior cleaning service previously offered by Rehoboth Car Wash, but Nathan said there will soon be free-to-use, do-it-yourself vacuums installed for customers. They’ll be under a canopy so people are protected from the sun, he said.

Nathan said Mr. Wash will honor all the prepaid gift cards issued from Rehoboth Car Wash. He said bring the cards in, they’ll look up the amount left on the card and issue a Mr. Wash card in that amount. Mr. Wash Car Wash also offers a membership service.

This may be the company’s first Delaware location, but Steve said he’s been coming to Rehoboth since he was a kid, and the family purchased a house in Dewey Beach in the 1990s.

Nathan said he’s thrilled to be bringing the family operation to Rehoboth. He said the company employs over 200 people, some of whom have been at their Virginia locations longer than he’s been alive, and he’s happy to bring that atmosphere to the beach.

“I’ve been coming here my whole life, so to have a car wash here now is great,” he said.

Mr. Wash Car Wash, 19898 Hebron Road, is open 7 days a week: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. For more information go to MrWash.com or call 302-227-6177.