11 Tips That Will Keep Your Truck Sparkling Posted by DC Cargo Mall on November 20, 2013

A shiny truck does not necessarily mean a clean truck! The trick is to run it over with your hands. If it feels like glass, you’re on the right track, but if it’s more of a sand paper feel, it’s time to get scrubbing!

• Make sure your truck's engine, windshield, etc. are completely cooled down. Cleaning with cold water on a hot surface (although rare) can cause that surface to crack. Not cool.

•  Get in extra moisture onto the surface before scrubbing to avoid scratch marks by simply rubbing a sponge that hasn’t enough H2O on it.

• Touchy about your truck’s new paint job? Don’t use high pressure washing. Low pressure is preferred over high which would penetrate your paint and push fine particles into the paint’s surface. A simple garden hose can work wonders.

• Do NOT use dish-washing soap, apparently, what dishes can handle, your truck can’t. This soap will remove some, if not all of your precious wax/sealant coatings, leaving a slight residue on the surface.

• Finding out what kind of paint your truck is coated with can ease your decision-making process in choosing the right paint that will be safe and effective for your truck’s surface. If you don’t know, just buy a soap that reads that it is safe for ALL paint types to be safe, such as detergent.

• To avoid those nasty swirl marks, invest in a quality sponge/mitt/brush that is extra soft and uber-absorbent. Constantly rinse your sponge, keeping it clean as your best added measure for avoiding marks. Waxing will also remove any swirl marks that HAVE made their way to your surface.

• To be most time-efficient, begin your scrubbing from the top and then travel downwards as you go. This prevents you from cleaning the same spots twice out of confusion. Split your truck into sections mentally or even on a paper, placing them in categories like ‘roof, sides, trucks, doors, etc.’ This will ensure a clear check-off list of all areas involved and will help you feel more accomplished and motivated after an acknowledgement of each step.

• Your wheels are the dirtiest part, and more than just cleaning them last, have a separate sponge special for your wheels so that the dirt will not interfere with the paint on the rest of your truck.

• You can use the same soap used for the rest of your truck for your wheels, special wheel fluid is unnecessary. But, rims can be tricky as chrome and alloy both react differently to the same chemicals so it is best to find out beforehand for rims in specific.

• Drying with a water blade is a great means of sliding the water off in smooth strokes without scratching any paint off.

• Touch up any still damp areas with a top-notch quality towel, namely of Terry or Micro fiber, and wash them afterwards in separate loads then your other scrubbers with any chemicals on them to prolong their longevity and keep it from – that’s right – scraping your prized paint.

A cleaner truck is a safer truck as the more dirt in accumulation, the more it will camouflage into the night surrounding. Stick your truck with reflective tape all around and always remember to load with precaution - never judge a truck's safety by only its exterior.;)