Judith Colletti, owner of the Elgin Car Wash, said an Elgin code enforcement officer visited Monday and asked her to take down the sign, which she said was merely a humorous play on words based on the business' model of having employees wash cars by hand, the Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights, Ill., reported Wednesday.

"People laugh about it. They think it's a joke," she said. "In this economy, the way things are today, you have to think outside the box. It's a play on words. It was never meant to insult anybody."

Colletti said she changed the sign Tuesday evening but the decision was only part of her regular routine and not a result of the city's request.

Elgin spokeswoman Susan Olafson said that while the sign didn't violate any laws, city officials were concerned after residents complained.

"We merely suggested she reconsider her language," Olafson told the Daily Herald. "We fully support her First Amendment rights but there's a greater issue here. Is this the language that can be used to best promote her car wash? She's using a double entendre that could leave a negative impression of her business and the city."