It is the festive season and many South Africans are driving around in their luxury vehicles between holiday destinations and other events. But since it is also the rainy season, vehicles are often dirty and South Africans like their vehicles to be clean at all times.

It is the festive season and many South Africans are driving around in their luxury vehicles between holiday destinations and other events. But since it is also the rainy season, vehicles are often dirty and South Africans like their vehicles to be clean at all times.

As a result, a car wash is perfect for someone who wants to start his or her own business. You do not have to have much capital to start a car wash.

You can start small and gradually expand as your finances improve. You do not need expensive equipment to start a car wash. All you need is a bucket, soap, access to clean water and good cloths.

But, depending on your financial status, there are other options of getting into the business. One option is a mobile-car wash. Although this is a more expensive option, it saves time and water compared to the bucket option.

With this business option, it is easier to get more customers because you can take your business to them rather than wait for them to come to you.

You can even approach companies or big business and propose to wash the cars of their staff at a given rate, provided they agree to use you on a regular basis.

According to research carried out by Nissan South Africa, there will be 30percent more cars in South Africa by 2010. Therefore, by tapping into the car-wash business, you will never find yourself wanting as long as you know what you are doing.

Another good thing about starting this kind of a business is that there is no risk of losing start-up funds since you can start the business at home without investing too much capital.

If you don't have money to start a mobile car wash, you need to be careful about the location. Location is everything when you are running a car wash. Your car wash must be visible to car owners. You will at least need to display a board showing that you are operating a car wash.

To stand out from the rest of the car washes in your neighbourhood, you will need to put in some extras in addition to washing the cars. Think of selling snacks that your customers can munch on while they wait.

Just like in any other business, you must know your target market. While it is clear that your target market are vehicle owners, you need to know their lifestyles in order to attract them to your car wash.

You must find out how much they spend on taking care of their cars and decide on a reasonable fee. Also check the kind of cars the majority of prospective customers drive.

The marketing and advertising side won't cost you too much money to create awareness of the existence of your business. The business needs to be visible and you can personally tell people about your service.

Wherever you go nowadays, you are always approached by individuals wanting to wash your car. That is how easy it is to sell you services.

Generally, most start-up car washers approach you and ask if you would like to have your car washed. You don't lose a cent by approaching a customer even if they don't use your services.

You should not be afraid to approach people. If they say yes, then you give them a fair price and do a very nice job. In that way you will have a satisfied customer who now knows you and might even refer others to come to you.

If the idea of starting your own car wash from scratch freaks you out, there is a franchise option. The Internet has enough information about any businesses that are on sale.