Car washes can get expensive. A standard hand wash, for example, can run anywhere from $20 to $30, with some premium packages costing around $70.
Depending on where you live and the way you take care of your car, it’s something you might have to do pretty often. According to one woman on TikTok, though, there’s a way around paying for them altogether.
In a recent video that got over 879,500 views, creator Jaclyn (@jac0lanternn) shared how she says she’s been getting free car washes for years.
What’s The Free Car Wash ‘Hack’?
"I haven’t paid for a car wash in, like, three years," she says. "And let me tell you the hack."
She explains that it starts with a simple search. "What you're gonna do is you're gonna go on your Safari, Google Maps," she says. "Type in car wash near me, click on any of them."
From there, she says to search the business name along with the word "free."
"They all have a text system," she says. "They all have a free first wash text system." Her strategy is to keep signing up for the free wash, over and over again. "Sign up for all of them in your area, and then use your sister, your boyfriend, your girlfriend’s phone number, and then do it all again," she says.
That’s her cheat code. "I haven’t paid for a wash in I don’t know how long." Jaclyn says that’s what she’s doing as she’s filming the video. "Here I am right now on this fine Sunday, getting myself a free wash," she says.
Does The Free Car Wash Hack Work?
In the comments, some viewers said they’ve used a similar method. Some reported, however, that businesses eventually caught on.
"I did this until I ran out of people; now I pay for a membership," one person wrote.
Jaclyn replied to that comment, saying, "Use one of those Google text free numbers."
Another chimed in, sharing, "I do this too. But the one I love started flagging my license plate."
"Okay I saw this now delete it," one user joked.
"I don’t pay for car washes either," a third stated. "My method is way easier though. I just don’t wash my car."
Is This Against The Rules?
While this workaround isn’t likely to get you in legal trouble, it still violates the basic terms of the "first wash for free" agreement.
They’re meant to be used once per customer, and, as Jaclyn mentioned, they’re often tied to a phone number, an email, or even a license plate.
That means repeatedly signing up with different numbers could get your car flagged. As one commenter pointed out, you could get permanently banned from your favorite car wash.
In a Reddit discussion about the tactic, the poster asked whether it was ethical on r/tooafraidtoask.
One person suggested checking the fine print.
"Check the terms and services of the offer and whether it limits per individual/per car/per phone number," they wrote. "That may differentiate whether it’s illegal or not. Whether it’s unethical would depend on you as an individual."
They added that the context matters in this case.
"Personally, if it is a mom & pop shop, I’d say yes, unethical, but if it’s part of a chain, I’d do it too."
Motor1 has reached out to Jaclyn via TikTok messages for comment and additional details. We’ll update this piece when she responds.
@jac0lanternn Iykyk I haven’t paid for a car wash in years lol #fyp #free #carwash #lifehack #savemoneytips ♬ original sound - Jaclyn
