Hand Car Wash in El Paso, TX
Every car washed by hand with a clean mitt and dried with towels. Full service adds the vacuum, dash and inside glass. No brushes on the paint, no conveyor.
Three Washes and Three Extras
Pick how far inside you want us to go, then add what the car needs. Every wash starts with the same two-bucket hand wash outside.
What a Hand Wash Costs
Prices for cars and small SUVs. Large SUVs, trucks and vans are $5 more on the exterior wash and $10 more on the others. Add-ons: hand wax $30, interior shampoo $60, pet hair removal from $25.
Exterior Hand Wash
Outside only, about 20 minutes
- Two-bucket hand wash
- Wheels and tires cleaned
- Towel dried, outside windows
Full-Service Hand Wash
Inside and out, about 40 minutes
- Everything in the exterior wash
- Full vacuum and wiped dash
- Inside windows and door panels
Inside & Out Plus
The full clean, about 90 minutes
- Everything in full service
- Hand wax and mats shampooed
- Door jambs and vents cleaned
A Mitt, Two Buckets and Somebody Paying Attention
Lathem opened on Montana Avenue fourteen years ago with two bays and a hose. It is still a hand wash: one bucket of soapy water, one bucket of clean rinse water, and a fresh mitt for every car, so the grit from the last car never touches yours.
In El Paso that matters. Spring wind leaves fine dust in every seam, and a brush drags it across the paint. A person with a mitt can see it and rinse it out first.
- Freshmitt for every car
- Rinsebucket kept separate
- Driedwith towels, never air blowers
How a Full-Service Wash Goes
Pull in
Drive into an open bay, or come at your booked time. Leave the keys and take a seat on the bench.
Washed by hand
Pre-rinse, hand wash from the roof down, wheels last with their own brush.
Dried and vacuumed
Towel dried, then seats, mats and the trunk vacuumed and the dash wiped.
Walk around
We walk around the car with you before you pay. Anything missed gets done there and then.
What a Hand Wash Looks Like
The Inside Gets the Same Attention
Full service means the inside too. Seats, carpets, the trunk and the gaps by the seat rails are vacuumed. The dash, cup holders and door panels are wiped, and the inside of the windows is cleaned last so the glare is gone.
Got a dog or a car seat in the back? Add pet hair removal or an interior shampoo when you book.
- ✓Seats, carpets and trunk vacuumed
- ✓Dash and door panels wiped
- ✓Inside glass cleaned last
What You Can Count On
No brushes on paint
Mitts and towels only. The only brush is the one for your wheels.
A walk-around
You look the car over with us before you pay.
Trucks welcome
Lifted trucks and big vans fit in the end bay.
Wait or drop off
Sit on the shaded bench, or leave the car and we'll text you.
Seven days
Open every day, with Sunday hours until four.
Same crew
The people who wash your car are the same people every week.
What Regulars Say
The red dust from the spring wind gets into everything. They got it out of the door jambs and the vents, which the tunnel wash down the street never touches. An hour and a half and I was back on Montana.
Two kids and a dog in a minivan. I booked Inside & Out Plus with pet hair removal and they handed it back like it was the day I bought it. They even found the missing earbud.
I don't put my truck through brushes. Here somebody washes it by hand with a clean mitt and dries it with towels, and I can watch them do it from the bench.
Car Seats, Crumbs and Dog Hair
Book Inside & Out Plus with pet hair removal. We clean around the car seats without unbuckling them, so they stay fitted exactly as you had them.
Hand Wash Questions
Do I need to book?
No. Pull in any time we're open and we'll wash you in order. Booking a time just means you won't wait on a Saturday morning.
How long does a full-service wash take?
About forty minutes for a car, a little longer for a big SUV or a truck. Inside & Out Plus takes about ninety minutes.
Is a hand wash better for my paint?
It's gentler. A clean mitt and a separate rinse bucket keep grit off the paint, and nothing spins against it. It also lets us see and rinse dust out of seams first.
Do you wash trucks and vans?
Yes. Lifted trucks and full-size vans go in the end bay. They're $5 more on the exterior wash and $10 more on the others.
Can I wait while you wash it?
Yes. There's a shaded bench and cold water by the office. Or leave the car and we'll text you when it's ready.
How do I pay?
Card or cash after the walk-around, once you're happy with the car.
Book a Time on Montana Avenue
Tell us the car and the wash you want. We'll text back to confirm your time.
- Visit us6120 Montana Avenue, El Paso, TX 79925
- Call us(915) 555-0186
- Email ushello@lathemhandwash.com
- Opening hoursMon – Sat: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Sun: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM