For the Albrecht family, a visit to the ScrubaDub car wash in Salem, New Hampshire, has become a shared family activity. Five-year-old Liam has autism, and his mother says finding activities the whole family can enjoy is not always easy. At the car wash, employee Benjamin Pineiro draws Mickey and Minnie Mouse on vehicle windows and offers treats to children who are nervous.
In a report that brought the story to wider audiences, WTAE quoted Liam’s mother, Crystal Albrecht, saying the car wash became a place where everyone in her family could have fun. Albrecht co-founded The Albrecht Foundation with Erik Albrecht. The foundation, headquartered on Raymond Avenue in Salem, supports families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss and provides sensory tools and classroom resources for autistic children, according to The Albrecht Foundation.
The employee the family knows as Ben is Benjamin Pineiro. WTAE reported that he welcomes customers, offers treats and draws characters such as Mickey and Minnie on car windows. Pineiro said he wanted to give people who are scared of the car wash something to look forward to.
A Place Built for Sensory Comfort
The setting matters here. Car washes combine loud motor sounds, unpredictable water spray, and mechanical brushes — the exact kind of unpredictable, intense stimuli that can trigger severe anxiety or panic in children with autism spectrum disorder, according to Magnolia Behavior Therapy, which notes that sensory overload occurs when environmental inputs exceed a person's coping capacity. That context helps explain why Pineiro's efforts to make the experience welcoming, rather than overwhelming, carried so much weight for Liam.
Access and Sensory-Friendly Programs
Federal guidance sets a broader context for businesses serving the public: ADA.gov says businesses must provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to access their goods or services, including making reasonable modifications where needed. That general guidance does not establish that Pineiro’s individual gestures were legally required.
Visit NH listed a Sensory Friendly Playtime in Dover for November 2, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 6 Washington Street. The scheduled program was distinct from the Albrecht family’s routine car-wash visits; the cited event details establish its time and location but do not specify particular accommodations.
Albrecht wrote to ScrubaDub in May to describe the effect Pineiro’s kindness had on her family. In WTAE’s account, she said the small gestures fostered happiness and connection that stayed with them after they left the car wash.
WTAE reported that staff members were moved by Albrecht’s message, with the company’s director of people and culture, Alex Paisner, saying employees were crying after reading it. Paisner’s grandparents founded ScrubaDub; he said the story reflected the customer service the family-owned business aims to provide.
Sixty Years as a Family Business
ScrubaDub marked its 60th anniversary in 2026, still a third-generation family-owned operation headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, with more than 20 locations across New England since Marshall and Elaine Paisner founded the company in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1966, according to the Natick Report. The company was named one of USA Today's national Top Workplaces in 2024 and 2026 and was recognized among The Boston Globe's Top Places to Work in 2025, per ScrubaDub.
Before Albrecht’s message reached ScrubaDub, Pineiro did not know Liam had autism or how his actions affected the family, WTAE reported. Pineiro said learning about their response made him feel good. The Salem location is at 113 North Broadway, along the town’s main commercial stretch, according to Hippo Press.
The two eventually met in person during a family visit, after knowing each other through the car window for more than two years. Pineiro told Liam, “I think you're my favorite customer I've ever had.” WTAE reported that Pineiro was glad Liam felt safe with him at the car wash.
Two Minutes That Matter
Pineiro said being kind to someone can have a powerful impact. WTAE reported that he spends roughly two minutes on the gestures, and that he has worked at the Salem location for more than two years. An employee spotlight shared on Instagram says he also plays guitar, writes music and has drummed since age 10.
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Albrecht hopes the story reminds people that brief moments of kindness can have a lasting effect. She said a smile or simple acknowledgment may affect someone in ways others never know. The story of Liam and Pineiro was first broadcast regionally on WMUR-TV's nightly human-interest program New Hampshire Chronicle on October 5, before reaching wider audiences, according to Tazzora.
Pelham and Salem sit directly adjacent to each other along the Route 38 corridor near the Massachusetts state line, per the Town of Pelham, geography that helps explain why families from neighboring towns make the trip to Salem for errands like a car wash. The moment also lands amid a broader public-health picture: CDC surveillance data released in 2025 found that approximately 1 in 31 eight-year-old children in the United States were identified with autism spectrum disorder, up from 1 in 36 in 2020 data, according to the CDC.
