If you own a car wash, you’ve got a lot to deal with. Water, electricity, chemicals, staff, overhead, bills. The list goes on. Something that may not have occurred to you to put into action is to have your employees wear custom t-shirts. It may not sound like a big deal. Heck, they’re just out there washing and drying cars, right? Not exactly. There’s plenty more to a staff wearing matching shirts that can significantly crank up revenue, as well as boost morale.
The Customer’s Perspective:
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that consumers spend around $5.8 billion at car wash businesses annually. On average, nearly 20,000 cars get washed at any given facility per year. Those are numbers that can easily grow if your workers wear identical custom t-shirts. But how? According to J.D. Powers, the following are some consumer reactions regarding the impact that uniforms have on a company and its customers:
- Consumers associate positive traits when they see uniformed employees
- Wearing uniforms conveys to consumers a higher work ethic and instills a greater sense of trust and confidence
- When consumers see an employee in uniform, they feel that they receive a better product and higher quality of service
Why do customers believe all these great things are possible just by seeing an employee in a uniform? It comes down to basic professionalism. When workers wear uniform t-shirts, it conveys a much more professional image as opposed to the same crew wearing whatever they decided to put on that day.
Trust plays a major role in your business, so anything you can do to put the customer at ease is extremely important. Many people feel uncomfortable handing off their vehicle to a total stranger for this first time. But if they see that the person washing their car is with an organization, it helps to relieve any doubts.

The Employee’s Perspective:
The wearing of uniforms definitely impacts the way workers feel about themselves, as well as their attitudes toward others. A custom tee will produce more professionalism in the employee. As a result, the employee will treat same-dressed co-workers with greater respect.
Team (work) t-shirts display unity. They garner more selflessness from individuals. The staff can, without even thinking about it, become a squad, ready and energized to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
All told, there is a psychology behind uniforms and uniformity. The psychology of wearing the same t-shirts can inspire a camaraderie in the workplace, and the subsequent staff unification can do wonders to bring about greater success.
Marketing with Custom T-Shirts:
A custom garment serves as a solid marketing tool. When your employees finish the last details of a wash, they approach the customer to let them know they are good to go. When they do that, the customer invariably takes a look at their vehicle, then back to the employee to say thank you. The customer will see the branded shirt and will drive away associating your company with positive feelings. The neighbors might inquire about the shiny look of the vehicle. The customer gives them your company name, and your brand begins to grow organically. Word of mouth is powerful, free advertising.
On the way to work, employees might stop at a gas station for coffee or an energy drink. They’ll be sporting your company’s custom shirt. Other patrons at the gas station might take notice, and it could easily serve as a reminder that they need a car wash. Repeat that scenario when employees go to lunch or stop at the grocery store after work. Again, it’s all free advertising via a simple t-shirt.

Color Choices, Text, and Logo:
What colors are you thinking about going with regarding the upcoming purchase of your new custom shirt? Being in the t-shirt business, we at Good Guys Signs, have some insight into colors and thought processes. Blues and greens are nice, relaxing, calming colors for a shirt. They are also representative of water and the ocean, which play right into the hands of a car washing biz.

Those colors display to the customer that you’re totally in control, that there’s nothing to worry about. On the flip side, you may elect to not appear overly calm and collected. You don’t want to put into the minds of the customer through your shirt that your staff is too chilled out. It could conceivably come across as lazy, if that makes sense.
Another route you can take is to choose red or yellow, as those colors convey a more vibrant, fun atmosphere. This could signal that your crew is really getting after it, that they’re very active. A downside to this choice is that you could come across as too fun, that your team isn’t taking the job seriously. A third option for the color of shirt that should strongly be considered is what your brand is. What color is the sign outside your place? Your business card? The color of your building? Lots to ponder on this, right?
Now to the text and logo for your t-shirt design. You’ll want to contrast these colors from the shirt itself so they stand out. You want your name, phone, and email to represent your business boldly so the customer can readily see them. Blue on blue or yellow on yellow gets totally washed out and nearly unreadable. Then, you have just pointlessly spent money on t-shirt printing that hasn’t advertised to the best it can be. Contrasting colors pop and draw the eye. In printing, we see it every day. It’s effective. It works.
T-Shirt Fabric:

Picking the right fabric can be a bit tricky, especially in the automobile detailing industry. Cotton is a breathable, yet strong material. At the same time, it feels soft to the touch. However, cotton will wrinkle and shrink more than other fabrics. Polyester is strong and resistant to wrinkling, as well as the fact that it doesn’t fade. But, it has the tendency to stick to the body, which is not ideal for your crew that is sweating and getting wet for most of their workday. There are what’s known as blends. That might not sound familiar, but you’ve more than likely worn this fabric without knowing its industry name. It’s a mixture of cotton and polyester. This type of blend is created to achieve the best of both worlds. You have cotton, being breathable and lightweight. You have polyester, bringing strength and a resistance to wrinkling to the table. Boom! You now have a custom t-shirt that will feel airy, last very long, and as a bonus, won’t fade.
Now to Printing:
We spoke to the contrast between shirt and print color earlier. As far as printing technique goes, we recommend either screen printing or digital printing. Each year, more than two billion t-shirts are sold worldwide. Over half of them that have a custom design are screen print. Screen printing is one of the most popular methods around, especially when it comes to larger orders (minimally 12 to 1,000 units or more). Screen printing is a versatile production style that delivers t-shirts with hard-to-match quality, rich-colored images, and unparalleled durability.
As for digital printing, this method puts out a very high-resolution image. You get a single shirt with a photo-realistic image. If you’re looking for the biggest bang for your buck on a lower number of t-shirts (1-12), going digital might be the right call for you.

Key Takeaways:
We’ve hit on a lot. It’s possible three cars have been washed, dried, vacuumed, and are off your lot by the time it’s taken to read this. We apologize, but we are here to help you succeed more. A t-shirt. Seems like something so minor, like a fly you wave away. But the importance of them for your customers, branding, and staff will turn a small price tag into thousands upon thousands of dollars for your car wash company.