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Eco-friendly car wash developing 2nd Las Vegas location

Updated May 27, 2022 - 1:19 pm

An eco-friendly car wash that first made its appearance in Las Vegas in 2019 is adding another location.

Tommy’s Express broke ground on its next Las Vegas car wash this week.

Located on South Nellis Boulevard, the new car wash site has been in development for the past two years, with Tommy’s current location on Ann Road. The official opening for the new location is set for early 2023.

The car wash offers the standard amenities such as Rainbow Wash, wheel cleaning, hot wax treatments and vacuum stations for car mats.

But Tommy’s Express differs from other car washes because of its focus on sustainability and water conservation, said Carrie Caldwell, corporate communications for Tommy’s.

“When you wash your car at home you are using, on average, 100 gallons,” she said. “When you wash at an express car wash, like Tommy’s Express, you use significantly less water.”

Tommy’s uses fewer than 30 gallons of water per car, a decrease from the usual 85 gallons per car at a typical commercial car wash, according to the company.

To help maximize sustainability efforts, Tommy’s has a reverse osmosis system located underneath the car wash. All water used to wash the car is drained into the underground system to filter it for further use.

“What sets Tommy’s apart from any other car wash is the RO system we use,” Caldwell said. “It filters all of the dirt, grime and soap out of the water so 85 percent can be reused.”

Gloria Rhodes, who has been working at the Ann Road location for over a year and a half, is being trained to become a site lead for the Nellis Boulevard location. “Everyone treats you like family,” she said, while also noting the company refers to customers as “guests.”

According to Rhodes, the guest satisfaction rate is very high.

One such guest, Krista Baker, said Tommy’s is her favorite car wash.

“They’ve got all of the stuff that you need, so it’s kind of like a one-stop shop,” Baker said. “The sustainability aspect is definitely a proponent of why I come here.”

For every wash at Tommy’s, a portion of the proceeds goes to the nonprofit Water Mission — a nonprofit that helps bring clean drinking water to developing countries. The two have been partners since 2018, with one cent of every wash going to Water Mission.

Emerson Drewes can be reached at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow Emerson on Twitter @EmersonDrewes.

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