Challenging orders and unconcerned with the damages they cause to the street’s asphalt, illegal car washers keep returning to Jeddah’s roads, despite municipal directives.

These days it’s easy to see car washers working in front of malls, markets and government departments, as they get water from different sources, charging fees that range between SR10 and SR15.

Majed Khaled, a Jeddah resident, says that the main problem with these workers is the fact that they wash cars against people’s will.

“They follow you from the moment you enter the parking lot until you reach the mall, begging you to let them clean your car. As they sit with their car wash tools, some would even give you their number offering to clean your car at your house,” Khaled said, adding that some people prefer using these street car washers instead of going to a carwash.

According to Samer Bajindouh, another resident, this problem is becoming a source of irritation for many people in public areas. He called on authorities not to be lenient with these expats in order to end the phenomenon.

“Their chemicals, the continuous use of water and the dirt they wash off cars have caused the asphalt to erode, and are contaminating the environment with polluted water puddles,” he stressed.

Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, a harried citizen, noted that the car washers steal water from public pipelines, explaining that these expats would not behave like that in their own countries. “They have turned the red light, which is a usual sign for stopping, into a sign for stealing water,” he said, adding there are disproportionately large numbers of car cleaners in several areas in Jeddah, mainly in Prince Miteb Market and around the Al-Jamia neighborhood.

Jeddah municipality spokesman Muhammad Al-Bugami said the civic body is working to end this phenomenon with the help of the relevant authorities. He added that the municipality is proceeding to arrest many of them, and to clean and fix the damage these expats have caused in some sites. However, in some areas of the city, the clear lack of an official presence has led car washers to work comfortably, which has ruined parts of certain neighborhoods.

Mansour Al-Zahrani explained that the main reason this phenomenon keeps growing is that Jeddah residents use these rogue car washers’ services. He added that some people want to save time and money by availing themselves of the services of these washers.