Edit ArticleHow to Clean a Pickup Truck Three Parts:Cleaning the Main ExteriorCleaning the Truck BedCleaning the InteriorCommunity Q&A Pickup trucks can be used for towing, hauling different types of cargo, camping and for off-roading. Many of these activities expose them to more dirt than a regular car. Cleaning a pickup truck, particularly the truck bed, can be quite challenging, but with the right tools, you can get the job done without taking it to a carwash. Rinse the truck with water, from top to bottom. Shampoo the truck's exterior. Make use of a car shampoo that is mild and safe for all types of paint finish. It’s not a good idea to using a dish washing liquid as a substitute. Dish washing liquids tends to cuts grease and dirt, so once you apply this on a protected paint, the wax or sealant that is in your paint will be removed. For regular car wash maintenance, it's best to use a non-abrasive car shampoo. That being said, in some cases, using a dish washing soap can be good, if you are going to clay down or polish the paint after washing a vehicle.
Wash the tire and wheels. Wash the truck from top to bottom. Rinse the entire truck with water. Sweep the surface of the truck bed. Wash the bed the using a car shampoo. Dry the truck bed. Dry the inner panels. Wipe the inner windows, too. Clean the truck's interior. Use clean tap water. Avoid using laundry soap or dish washing liquid in cleaning your vehicle. It leaves a white powdery substance after drying and can make the paint finish dull. Using a car wash and wax shampoo is highly recommended because it will help in retaining the shine of your paint without stripping off any applied wax. Use a cloth, made of microfiber, instead of using a regular rug in wiping your vehicle. A chamois can do a great job in drying your vehicle after rinsing it. Its fabric can absorb liquid, 10 times of its weight, and will therefore reduce the time devoted in drying a wet surface. A tire brush can be used in cleaning your tires and rims.
Be sure to pick a soft bristle to avoid scratching your wheels. Cleaning the truck bed properly is important. It makes it less prone to damage from different elements in encounters while travelling and hauling. Keeping it dirty will lead to permanent paint damage on its surface. New (8) from $10.38 & FREE Shipping on orders over $35. Sold by Tool Deals and Fulfilled by Amazon. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and . If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you increase your sales. We invite you to learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon Forever Black Truck Bed Liner Gel FREE Shipping on orders over . DetailsForever Black Bumper & Trim Dye Kit FREE Shipping on orders over . DetailsForever Car Care Products FB810 BLACK Tire Gel and Foam Applicator FREE Shipping on orders over .
Forever Car Car Products 8 x 8 x 6 inches 4.1 out of 5 stars #55,514 in Automotive (See top 100) #76 in Automotive > Car Care > Tire & Wheel Care > Tire Care #1,287 in Automotive > Car Care > Exterior Care > Cleaners #2,881 in Automotive > Wheels & Tires 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues. This item can be shipped to select countries outside of the U.S. Learn More Manufacturer’s warranty can be requested from customer service. Click here to make a request to customer service. Forever Black Truck Bed Liner Gel restores a like-new black finish to your truck bed liner. Forever Black is a professional quality, semi-permanent color restorer that puts the black luster back into faded spray-in or drop-in bed liners. You’ll see the difference instantly!
Forever Black Truck Liner Gel is not a paint! Paint sits on top of the surface. Forever Black is a pigmented gel that soaks into the liner’s pores to re-color it. Your truck bed liner looks the same, just cleaner, blacker, and newer. 5 star61%4 star16%3 star14%2 star7%1 star2%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsBest I've ever usedWorked decent. Cheap applicatorBottle needs to be bigger! It worksLove it still...8 months laterOld looks new Worked like magic on line-x spray on liner... that any product could make the bed liner look good on my newly acquired 2012 Tacoma See and discover other items: black restorer Learn more about Amazon GiveawayI've always wondered why pickup trucks have painted beds. Hauling anything immediately scratches a brand-new truck bed. It's slippery as heck when wet. Of course, there are alternatives: Old trucks used to use wood, which rotted in a few years. You can buy a drop-in plastic bed liner, but it might rub off paint and trap moisture underneath, which leads to rust.
I'm starting to think the best solution is an applied surface that's tougher than paint, like an epoxy concrete-floor coating. In the industry, these coatings are called spray-in bed liners, and there are several companies that will coat your bed. Using catalyzed-urethane-based polymers at 800 to 2000 psi, these liners are thicker and tougher than the driveway-applied roll-in liners—they're also considerably more expensive, with prices ranging from $400 to nearly $1000. This is a perfect DIY project: In only 4 hours, we did the job ourselves for about $50. It's All in the PrepStart by washing the truck, paying special attention to getting the inside of the bed squeaky clean. Skip the wax setting at the quarter car wash, because the bed-liner material needs bare, clean paint to stick. Give the box a full day to completely dry. Find a shady, outdoor place. Trust me, you won't want to work indoors— this stuff stinks like dead dinosaurs when it's drying. Rubber gloves are a very good idea because it takes days to come out of your fingerprints.
Use a leaf blower or a shop vac to clean the inside of the bed of any dust, leaves or water. If you've spilled any oil, ever, it'll need to be cleaned with mineral spirits. If there's any loose, peeling paint or rust on the sheet metal, you'll need to wire-brush, sandpaper or sandblast down to clean metal. Don't leave any loose rust around. Then blow out or vacuum the debris again. Prime the bare spots with a zinc-based primer, which you can spray from an aerosol can or even brush on.More Helpful HintsYou'll need to apply two coats. Do both on the same day, but wait long enough, an hour or two, to allow the first coat to set up. Wait too long and the second coat may not bond properly. Achieving a consistent texture isn't trivial. It's a constant juggling act between having enough and too much material on the roller, rolling out what's there and backtracking to catch drips. Watch any inner corners, seams or fittings, as the liner material can sag several minutes later. No problem—just roller over it and catch the drips.
Again, patience is the watchword. Use mineral spirits or lacquer thinner to clean up any spills.Remove the masking tape within 4 hours or so. Let the bed dry for about 24 hours, longer if the weather is cool. Be aware that the intense flat-black color of your liner will fade within a few months to charcoal gray. But then, so will the expensive spray-in liner.Brush On, Roller OnThe real secret to doing a proper bed-lining job is patience. Don't rush initial cleanup or proper scuff-sanding. Bonus: You can use leftover coating to touch up scratches periodically. If so, don't forget to degrease the surface before recoating. 1. Once the bed is clean and dry and any bare steel is primered, mask off the bed tops, the tailgate, the hinges and the latch pins. Careful masking will considerably improve the aesthetics of the job. 2. Scuff the entire interior of the bed with either the kit's Scotch-Brite pad or some 150-grit sandpaper. Be thorough or the new liner will peel off in sheets later.
3. Here's an example of paint that's been scuffed properly. There will still be some shine, but you definitely need to leave a patina of scratches behind. I recommend a dual-action or orbital sander for most of the job and saving the Scotch-Brite for the inside corners. 4. Use solvent and fresh paper towels to degrease the bed. It's vitally important to get every inch. Change the toweling when it looks dirty. Wipe in only one direction, from the front of the bed to the back, to keep any greasy spots from migrating to the back. Needless to say, work out of doors for this step. 5. Using a disposable brush, touch-paint any inside corners where the roller won't fit. Starting at the front of the bed, roller on the liner material. For the first coat, you won't see the final texture, so simply concentrate on getting an even coat without any missed spots, drips or sags. 6. The second coat will show a uniformly rough high-traction surface left behind by the roller. Texture areas you can't roller by dabbing with the end of the slightly wetted brush.