Guide
Our guide to cleaning your lorry
Read on for a comprehensive guide on cleaning your truck or lorry. You don't necessarily need any special equipment as a decent job can be done with some basic cleaning products.
Words by: Auto Trader
Published on 12 January 2021 | 0 min read
Designed to transport cargo, lorries regularly make long journeys, battling adverse weather conditions and sometimes difficult road conditions. Typically exposed to more dirt than regular cars, lorry cleaning is essential for preventing the contamination of goods, protecting the environment and spotting any maintenance jobs before they become costly issues.
Cleaning the exterior
1. Wash and rinse
First, give the exterior of your lorry a brief rinse down with water. Pay particular attention to the tyre wells as these are the areas that attract significantly more dirt than other parts of the vehicle.
Secondly, clean your wings. Experienced lorry drivers will take pride in the condition of their wings, so be sure to invest in a quality wing well brush to prevent scratches. Wing well brushes are designed to help you clean the hard to reach areas that you simply wouldn't be able to access with a regular brush. To avoid the risk of rust forming and dirt or mud accumulating, take the time to clean these areas thoroughly.
Secondly, clean your wings. Experienced lorry drivers will take pride in the condition of their wings, so be sure to invest in a quality wing well brush to prevent scratches. Wing well brushes are designed to help you clean the hard to reach areas that you simply wouldn't be able to access with a regular brush. To avoid the risk of rust forming and dirt or mud accumulating, take the time to clean these areas thoroughly.
2. Apply a detergent
Next, use a detergent. This is a debated topic within the lorry industry, as many say it is better to apply the detergent before spraying the vehicle down with water, as a water-barrier can prevent the detergent from reaching the dirt or blemishes that you wish to remove. Whether you choose to do this first or last, dilute the detergent based on the instructions provided - using too much will make the detergent harder to rinse off, whereas too little detergent will fail to lift dirt from the vehicle.
Top tip: Apply detergent/soap from bottom to top to avoid streaking! You're nearly there... after leaving the detergent to sit on the surface of the vehicle (we recommend roughly 30-45 seconds), give it a much-needed rinse with a low-pressure water hose.
Top tip: Apply detergent/soap from bottom to top to avoid streaking! You're nearly there... after leaving the detergent to sit on the surface of the vehicle (we recommend roughly 30-45 seconds), give it a much-needed rinse with a low-pressure water hose.
3. Let it dry
Finally, it's drying time. Some drivers will let their lorry air-dry, but we recommend using a good quality water blade for an impressive finish. Akin to a windshield wiper but for a vehicle's bodywork, a water blade removes water in singular strokes without damaging or scratching the paintwork.
Cleaning the interior
A little more fiddly than cleaning the exterior, it's important to clean the inside of your lorry regularly. Here are a few things to bear in mind:
4. Wipe down any panels and windows
Bearing in mind you've just washed the exterior of your lorry, make sure the crevices in the door and the inner panels are moisture-free. If not, a microfibre towel is the best cloth for the job.
Follow this up by wiping the windows down. Due to many long journeys in a confined space, the inside of your windows can attract all sorts of dirt, germs and sweat marks. Use a suede towel in this case and give them a thorough wipe down. Suede is a great choice because it doesn't leave streaks or marks after drying.
Follow this up by wiping the windows down. Due to many long journeys in a confined space, the inside of your windows can attract all sorts of dirt, germs and sweat marks. Use a suede towel in this case and give them a thorough wipe down. Suede is a great choice because it doesn't leave streaks or marks after drying.
5. Pick up and hoover
The inside of your lorry can never be too clean and you'll be amazed at the levels of dirt that can build up over time - think food crumbs, wrappers, tissues and more. However, it's easy to stay on top of this by picking your rubbish up and hoovering regularly.
Before you begin, you'll need to pick up any rubbish which is too big to be sucked up by the hoover. Now, remove any detachable pieces of the interior, e.g floor mats, and give them a good vacuum (make sure you do this outside the lorry). Next, move on to the main body of the interior. We recommend starting with the headrest of the driver and passenger seats before working your way down - this way, you're sure not to miss any crumbs. Remember to be diligent here as dirt can find its way into the most irritating nooks and crannies. Keeping a hand-held hoover inside your cab also ensures you can clean up after yourself when you're on the road. Top Tip: Use seat covers and keep a stock of bin liners in your cab to make tidying up at the end of a long trip as painless as possible. You should now have restored your lorry to its former glory, and in doing so, avoided paying money for a professional clean. When you follow this guide, lorry cleaning really doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming.
Before you begin, you'll need to pick up any rubbish which is too big to be sucked up by the hoover. Now, remove any detachable pieces of the interior, e.g floor mats, and give them a good vacuum (make sure you do this outside the lorry). Next, move on to the main body of the interior. We recommend starting with the headrest of the driver and passenger seats before working your way down - this way, you're sure not to miss any crumbs. Remember to be diligent here as dirt can find its way into the most irritating nooks and crannies. Keeping a hand-held hoover inside your cab also ensures you can clean up after yourself when you're on the road. Top Tip: Use seat covers and keep a stock of bin liners in your cab to make tidying up at the end of a long trip as painless as possible. You should now have restored your lorry to its former glory, and in doing so, avoided paying money for a professional clean. When you follow this guide, lorry cleaning really doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming.