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How to fold an origami car wash

A splashy build. Fold the arch and its tunnel, stripe three brushes from comb strips, add the gallery car, soap bubbles, a snaking hose, a sign and a child with a sponge, then stand it up.

You need: 25 pieces: light-blue A4; grey, red, slate, yellow, orange, black, blue, pale-blue, green, skin, purple, brown (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 99 steps, about 100 minutes.

Steps

  1. Sky: crease the middle. Start with the sky: a light-blue A4 sheet lying long. Fold it in half, short edges together, and open it. It bends on this crease to stand.
  2. Pavement: new sheet. Set the sky aside. For the pavement, take a 29.7 × 10 cm grey strip, white side up, long side across.
  3. Pavement: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge. The fold is the front edge of the scene.
  4. Pavement: gentle slopes. Fold the top left and right corners behind on long slants, 1.2 cm down the ends, so the ground rises in the middle.
  5. Arch: new sheet. Set the pavement aside. For the car-wash arch, take a 21 × 17.8 cm piece of red paper, white side up.
  6. Arch: top band. Fold the top edge down 2.6 cm. The red band is the roof of the car wash.
  7. Arch: sides in. Fold the left and right edges in 4.5 cm, through all layers. Red pillars stand at each side of the opening.
  8. Arch: round the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 1.2 cm along each edge, for a rounded roof.
  9. Tunnel: new sheet. Set the arch aside. For the dark tunnel inside, take a 13.6 × 12.9 cm piece of slate-grey paper, grey side up.
  10. Tunnel: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 4 mm.
  11. Tunnel: sides. Fold the sides in 4 mm too: a white frame round the dark tunnel.
  12. Sign: new sheet. Set the tunnel aside. For the sign, take an 8.4 × 3.5 cm piece of yellow paper, yellow side up.
  13. Sign: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 4 mm.
  14. Sign: sides. Fold the sides in 4 mm too: a yellow sign board with a white frame.
  15. Car: new sheet. Set the sign aside. For the car body, take a 10.8 × 5.4 cm piece of orange paper, white side up, lying long.
  16. Car: roof stripe. Fold the top edge down a thin strip, about as wide as a pencil. That coloured stripe is the roof.
  17. Car: fold up the bottom. Fold the bottom edge up until it reaches just past the middle. The white band left under the roof is the windows.
  18. Car: slope the windows. Hold the bottom flap down. Fold both top corners behind on a slant so the roof ends hang straight down; each crease meets the flap's top edge a finger from the end.
  19. Car: round the bumpers. Fold the four corners of the lower body behind, a little each, so the bumpers look round.
  20. Wheel 1: new sheet. Set the body aside. For a wheel, take a 2.7 cm square of black paper, white side up.
  21. Wheel 1: corners to the middle. Fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.
  22. Wheel 1: tips back out. Fold each point back out a little, so a small white square shows in the middle. That's the hubcap.
  23. Wheel 1: round it off. Fold the four points of the square behind, just a little, so the wheel looks round.
  24. Wheel 2: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold a second wheel the same way.
  25. Wheel 2: corners to the middle. Fold all four corners in to the middle.
  26. Wheel 2: tips back out. Fold each point back out a little for the hubcap.
  27. Wheel 2: round it off. Fold the four points behind to round it off.
  28. Top roller: new sheet. Set the car aside. For the roller brush, take a 7.6 × 4 cm piece of blue paper, blue side up, long side across.
  29. Top roller: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  30. Top roller: in half again. Fold the right edge back over onto the left fold.
  31. Top roller: and again. Fold it in half once more the same way, to a narrow stack 10 mm wide. Crease hard.
  32. Top roller: snip the strips. Cut up both folded sides of the stack, from the bottom edge to halfway up (2 cm).
  33. Top roller: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  34. Top roller: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  35. Top roller: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Half of the piece is now eight loose strips.
  36. Top roller: white stripes. Fold the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th strips up onto the front, along the end of the cuts.
  37. Top roller: fold the rest behind. Fold the other strips up behind: a blue and white banded roller.
  38. Top roller: round the ends. Fold all four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge.
  39. Brush 1: new sheet. Set the roller aside. For a tall brush, take a 4 × 12.2 cm piece of blue paper, blue side up, standing tall.
  40. Brush 1: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  41. Brush 1: in half again. Fold the bottom edge back up onto the top fold.
  42. Brush 1: and again. Fold it in half once more the same way, to a narrow stack 1.5 cm wide. Crease hard.
  43. Brush 1: snip the strips. Cut in from the left along both folded edges of the stack, to halfway across (2 cm).
  44. Brush 1: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  45. Brush 1: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  46. Brush 1: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Half of the piece is now eight loose strips.
  47. Brush 1: white stripes. Fold the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th strips over onto the front, along the end of the cuts. Their white backs make bands.
  48. Brush 1: fold the rest behind. Fold the other strips over behind. Blue and white bands now run round the brush.
  49. Brush 1: round the ends. Fold all four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, so the brush looks round.
  50. Brush 2: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold a second tall brush the same way.
  51. Brush 2: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  52. Brush 2: in half again. Fold the bottom edge back up onto the top fold.
  53. Brush 2: and again. Fold it in half once more the same way, to a narrow stack 1.5 cm wide. Crease hard.
  54. Brush 2: snip the strips. Cut in from the left along both folded edges of the stack, to halfway across (2 cm).
  55. Brush 2: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  56. Brush 2: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  57. Brush 2: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Half of the piece is now eight loose strips.
  58. Brush 2: white stripes. Fold the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th strips over onto the front, along the end of the cuts. Their white backs make bands.
  59. Brush 2: fold the rest behind. Fold the other strips over behind. Blue and white bands now run round the brush.
  60. Brush 2: round the ends. Fold all four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, so the brush looks round.
  61. Bubble 1: new sheet. Set the brush aside. For a soap bubble, take a 2 cm square of pale-blue paper.
  62. Bubble 1: round it. Fold all four corners behind, a little under half way to the middle of each edge: a round bubble.
  63. Bubble 2: new sheet. Set it aside. Round a 1.5 cm pale-blue square the same way.
  64. Bubble 2: round it. Fold its four corners behind.
  65. Bubble 3: new sheet. Set it aside. Round a 1.2 cm pale-blue square the same way.
  66. Bubble 3: round it. Fold its four corners behind.
  67. Bubble 4: new sheet. Set it aside. Round a 1.4 cm pale-blue square the same way.
  68. Bubble 4: round it. Fold its four corners behind.
  69. Bubble 5: new sheet. Set it aside. Round a 1.8 cm pale-blue square the same way.
  70. Bubble 5: round it. Fold its four corners behind.
  71. Hose: new sheet. Set the bubble aside. For the hose, take a 1.2 cm × 17.4 cm green strip, standing tall.
  72. Hose: roll it thin. Fold the long edges behind to meet in the middle at the back: a thin green tube.
  73. Hose: bend the ends. Fold the bottom end over to the right on a slant, and the top end over to the left. The hose runs along the ground and up into the arch.
  74. Nozzle: new sheet. Set the hose aside. For the spray nozzle, take a 1.6 × 1.2 cm yellow piece.
  75. Nozzle: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle.
  76. Nozzle: point the tip. Fold the two left corners behind, 2 mm along each edge: a pointed nozzle.
  77. Child's hair: new sheet. Set the nozzle aside. Now a child, starting with the hair: a 3 × 2.6 cm dark-brown piece.
  78. Child's hair: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge.
  79. Child's arms: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For the arms, take a 10.2 × 1.1 cm skin-tone strip, long side across.
  80. Child's arms: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  81. Child's arms: bend the ends. Fold the left end up and the right end down on slants from the corners: one arm reaches up to scrub, the other hangs down.
  82. Child's legs: new sheet. Set the arms aside. For the legs, take a 8.8 × 1.2 cm skin-tone strip.
  83. Child's legs: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  84. Child's legs: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners: two legs.
  85. Shorts: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For the shorts, take a 3.2 × 2.2 cm piece of blue paper, blue side up.
  86. Shorts: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  87. Shorts: open again. Open it again. The crease will part the two legs.
  88. Shorts: snip the legs. Cut up the middle crease from the bottom edge, 1.2 cm.
  89. Shorts: shape the legs. Fold each inner corner at the cut behind on a slant, from the top of the cut down to 5 mm along the bottom: two short legs.
  90. T-shirt: new sheet. Set the shorts aside. For the T-shirt, take a 3.8 cm square of purple paper, purple side up.
  91. T-shirt: neckband. Fold the top edge down 4 mm: a white neckband.
  92. T-shirt: shoulders. Fold the two top corners behind, 7 mm along each edge.
  93. Child's head: new sheet. Set the T-shirt aside. For the head, take a 2.5 cm square of skin-tone paper.
  94. Child's head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge.
  95. Sponge: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the sponge, take a 2.2 × 1.4 cm yellow piece, yellow side up.
  96. Sponge: scrubby top. Fold the top edge down 4 mm: the white scrubby side of the sponge.
  97. Sponge: soft corners. Fold all four corners behind, 3 mm along each edge.
  98. Build the scene. Glue the pavement, arch, tunnel and sign on the sky. Put the car in the tunnel, the roller and brushes over it, bubbles around, then the hose and the child.
  99. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you on the middle crease and stand the whole car wash up on the table.

Squeaky clean!

Write CAR WASH on the sign, draw the car's windows and lights, shine on the bubbles, a spray of water, the child's face and shoes, and holes in the sponge.

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