A conversation with Menachem Yablonsky of Spotless Car Cleaning

Years in business: 5

Branches: 2. This year we’re expanding to Brooklyn.

Employees: Last year we had 10 workers cleaning cars.

 

Main source of business: We do mostly commercial work, where companies or schools hire us to Pesach clean their employees’ cars.

 

Cars cleaned during a typical Pesach season:

This year, we’re projected to clean about 500 cars.

 

Average cleaning time per car:

Caked-up cars take the longest. After that, minivans take about 45 minutes, small SUVs run in the 30-minute range, and cars take about 25 minutes. Even the cleanest cars take time because we’re very thorough.

 

Busiest time in the season:

Our time slots start the week before Pesach—that’s when most companies want us to come down. We’re busiest when servicing the organized people who book early and the last-minute people who grab our last time slots.

 

Biggest trouble spot in cars:

Those cup holders with caked on gunk. We literally use steam and metal picks to loosen the dirt.

 

Once upon a time…

I’m a born hustler. I’m always looking to work, find opportunities, and build side hustles.

 

 

 

How it all began

When I was in eighth grade, I got a job cleaning cars for Pesach. In ninth grade, I worked for a car cleaning company, but at some point, I asked myself why I was working for someone else if I could open my own company. I had the idea to clean cars for companies, and I asked my father if I could start with his. He gave me 25 cars, and that’s where it all began. I cleaned every one of those 25 cars on my own and also did a few house calls.

The next year, when I was in tenth grade, I was looking to expand, so I walked around neighborhoods in Lakewood, knocking on doors and asking people if they needed their cars cleaned. In an interesting twist, I generally avoided knocking on basement doors, until at one house, when there was no answer at the upstairs door, I went downstairs and knocked on my first basement door. The lady who answered told me that her company was looking to hire someone to clean their employees’ cars, and they hired me to clean 25 cars. From there, the company grew to 200 cars, until this year, when we’re projecting to clean 500 cars. And I’m still learning in yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael.

 

How did you keep up with the company’s growth?

I’m always looking for the best solutions on how to innovate and make our process work better. Remember, I’m a hustler, and that means I’m a forward thinker. Once I realized that we were getting into commercial jobs, I looked for ways to make that work in the best way possible.

These days, we come fully equipped. We deliver our equipment and set up the night before. We bring our own generators, and this year we added a big tank with water and shampoo so our workers don’t have to traipse through the building to hook up to electricity or to refill their spray bottles.

How do you make sure the job gets done right?

My top priority is making sure the customers are happy. To do that, we work fast…but not too fast. Companies want their cars done efficiently, but if we’re too quick, they get nervous that we’re not thorough enough. It’s a tricky balance.

I always make sure to hire workers with some car cleaning experience. Every year, when I come home to Lakewood before the season begins, I do a car cleaning demonstration for my new workers. I show them what kind of job we’re looking for, including all the spots we expect them to get into. We also make sure our cleaners have the right equipment, including spray bottles with shampoo solution, a drill with a brush attachment for carpets, a vacuum, microfiber clothes, and brushes for hard-to-reach spots. Most surprising of all, toothbrushes with some metal picks are our most useful tool.

I also have a manager on-site for every job, and he looks over every car and makes sure the cleaning job reaches our standards. And, of course, we clean up after ourselves. There’s lots of garbage around when you’re cleaning cars!

 

 

What were some surprise challenges along the way?

Last year, there was a lot of rain the week before Pesach. One day, I had a group of workers at a job, and it started to pour. I ran to Walmart and bought seven huge tents to protect my workers and the cars. By the time I got back, the rain had stopped, but a few of the cars had already gotten wet. I ended up giving the company a discount.

What’s the best part about your business?

I love working. I start looking for workers and arranging my schedule, booking and scheduling customers, about a month before Purim, and as soon as I start, I feel the energy and the satisfaction of the hustle. Of course, my greatest satisfaction is pleasing the customers and seeing their satisfaction and pleasant surprise when the job is done quickly and well.

 

Looking ahead, what’s next?

I’m always looking ahead, working to grow and expand the company. At the same time, while I’m grateful for the growth we’ve seen, I know this is always going to be a side hustle for me, since it’s a very seasonal job. Right now, I’m able to run this company while learning in yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael. The bulk of the work takes place over bein hazmanim, when I’m back in Lakewood, which is a great way for me to gain some experience and earn some money.