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5 Steps for Washing a Truck or SUV
Did you know how to detail a truck and if you want a streak-free wash, you need to avoid washing at the hottest time of day? Otherwise, the water evaporates before the soap is rinsed or worse—it could warp certain car parts that heat up in the sun. Below we have listed other helpful steps on how to wash a truck or SUV.
Step 1: Pre-Rinse
First things first in SUV and pickup truck cleaning—before you start adding water ensure that it’s low-pressure so it doesn’t scratch up your car. Pressure or power washers can be used for the car’s undercarriage, engine, or wheels instead.
When you have the water ready to go, use plenty of it. This will keep you from pushing in grime that will scratch your car. It will also help the soap lather up enough to get the whole car looking clean.
Step 2: Use Car Shampoo and a Washing Mitt
Use car soap or shampoo that’s safe for all paint types and clear coats, especially if you don’t know the kind of paint your truck or SUV has. Any other cleaning substance like dish soap will remove paint sealant. Use an all-wheel cleaner for your car wheels to avoid rusting the metal.
You can use sponges or soft brushes to simply wash your car. However, not all carwash tools are created equal. If you want to see a truck or SUV that shines, use our Premium Wash Mitt: made of a wool, polyester, and nylon blend that holds more soap and water than competing products.
Do not use the same washing mitt or other carwash tools on the wheels that you do on the body! Brake dust and other debris on the far filthier wheels will scratch up the car paint. Designate a different wash tool for the two sections to avoid this. It may even be better to use a soft bristle brush on the wheels for a deeper clean.
For dipped or matte finish cars, it’s best to use our DipRagz™ car cleaning tool. Unlike traditional cloths, DipRagz™ are made from a special sponge-like material that won’t leave fibers stuck in the finish.
Step 3: Final Rinse
Rinse from the top down to avoid wasting water. It might also be a good idea to rinse by sections to be certain you’re not missing anything.
Step 4: Dry
Dry your car from the top down with The Absorber®. Unlike terrycloth, microfiber, or leather chamois, The Absorber® is made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The porous surface of PVA gives it unmatchable absorbency so you can wring and re-use it to dry your entire car without going through a stack of cloths.
Be sure to wash your Absorber®, Premium Wash Mitt, or DipRagz™ separate from one another if used to wash the body and wheels of the car. You’ll want to wash them separate from any tools used to lay down wax or polish too.
Step 5: Wax
Read the wax bottle instructions and apply a small amount of wax on a soft pad. Work the wax into a thin film across your car in sections using gentle-but-firm, small circular motions. Avoid putting wax on rubber, plastic, or unpainted car parts. When a haze forms, move on to the next unwaxed section. Apply more wax as needed on your tool.
You can also use a dual-action or rotary polisher to spread the wax more uniformly. This depends on your comfort level with these types of tools though. After your entire car is coated, be sure to touch up any spots that were missed. In any case, you can always take your car to be waxed even if you don’t want to for a car washing.
Use an XXL Drying Towel for Large Jobs
With pickup truck cleaning or SUV cleaning, you’ll want a drying towel that can get the job done as quickly as possible despite the larger size of the job. A big towel like The Absorber® XXL has unmatched drying speed and capability so you won’t need to keep any other drying towels on to truck and SUV car wash.
How To Clean a Pickup Truck Bed
Here’s how to clean truck bed. Cleaning a pickup truck bed means you’ll first need to remove all items in it, including any detachable carpet or liner. Then you can start your pickup truck cleaning to sweep all dirt and debris out of the truck bed. Here, you can use a pressure washer (safe for cars) to remove excess dirt starting from the innermost part of the bed, then moving side to side out to the tailgate end.
Car shampoo and our Premium Wash Mitt should be used to clean the inside—bristle brushes will just scratch it up. Wash the inside beginning from the innermost part of the truck as well.
Rinse in the same manner as before until all the soap is gone. You can then use The Absorber® XXL to dry the pickup truck bed, and if desired, apply truck bed-safe wax to keep it looking shiny. If you follow these steps you’ll become an expert in how to wash, clean, and detail your truck and SUV.