“It’s a family thing,” said Kevin Moore, when asked how he got his start detailing cars. Turns out, Moore got his start at the age of 12, when his uncle put him to work in his detailing shop.

“It was a summer job. It’s what I did after school and on the weekends,” Moore explained.

Moore must have learned those lessons of childhood well because after a 4-year stint in the U.S. Army, he returned home to Washington to open his detailing business, A-1 Mobile on the Spot Cleaning. That was eight years ago and now both his son and a nephew are working for him.

According to Moore, a couple of things make A-1 Mobile unique among detailers. One is that they don’t use any harsh brushes that could scratch a paint job.

“We’re hands-on,” explained Moore. “We don’t use brushes. We use cloth gloves to clean.”

The second is that A-1 Mobile is exactly that — mobile. Customers don’t have to go to Moore. Moore will go to them.

“The mobile part of it is what makes us really unique. We can wash and wax a car in the middle of the parking lot while you’re at work,” said Moore.

The company van comes supplied with a 125-gallon water tank, a generator, and a pressure washer, so the job of detailing can literally be done anywhere.

A sample of the services a customer can get on the go is A-1’s wash and wax, a service that includes a hand-wash of the exterior, a wipe-down and vacuum of the interior, and a hand-coat of wax. In the process, all windows and fender wells are cleaned, and a shine is put on the tires. The service will cost a little more, or a little less, than $65, depending on the size of the vehicle being detailed.

It’s not just vehicles that Moore’s been known to clean: he’s detailed airplanes and cleaned helicopters, even going so far as to wax the rotor blades.

“There’s not much I haven’t cleaned in eight years — planes, trains, and automobiles,” Moore said around a wry smile.

Local businessman David Norwood recently hired Moore to clean two vehicles at his home and a Suburban and boat located at his business, Carolina Wind Yachting Center.

“Kevin’s very attentive to details,” said Norwood. “And he provides an outstanding service at an affordable rate.”

The season gets busy for Moore and A-1 in the springtime, especially so for his pressure-washing side business, cleaning home exteriors, decks, concrete and more.

“This is our time of the year. People get their houses pressure-washed, their vehicles cleaned,” Moore said. “Summertime is when people shed their skin.”

A-1 Mobile on the Spot Detailing owner Kevin Moore can be contacted at 252-531-2441.