Your truck’s bed is the heart and soul of your vehicle. It’s where you put all your gear, whether hauling a load of lumber or picking up a pallet from the local hardware store. But if you don’t keep it in good shape, this vital part of your truck can quickly become an eyesore and cost a lot of money to fix when it starts falling apart.
So here are some simple tricks for keeping your truck bed looking good as new for years to come:
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Importance of Keeping Your Truck’s Bed in Good Condition
Truck beds come in different sizes. The two main types are standard short and long, measuring 6 feet 5 inches and 8 feet long, respectively. Keeping your truck bed clean is vital for several reasons, but the most obvious is that keeping your gear protected is easier.
A dirty truck bed will get everything in it filthy, too. Not just your stuff but also the bed and any tools you might have stashed there. Plus, if you ever decide to sell or trade-in your current vehicle and buy another one, having a clean truck bed will make it easier for potential buyers to see how well-maintained this vehicle has been.
This guide will not discuss cleaning out all those nooks and crannies. Instead, it will focus on keeping things simple, so this task doesn’t become overwhelming or tedious.
How to Maintain Your Truck’s Bed
Many kits help keep your truck’s bed in top condition. For instance, one of the most obvious ones is using a cover. The truck bed cover is the first line of defense against any damage. Hence, there is a growing demand for truck bed covers, and its market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% until 2029.
Clean the Bed Liner
The bed liner is integral to your truck’s appearance, so keep it clean. The best way to do this is by cleaning out any dirt and debris inside the bed with a vacuum cleaner. Depending on your available time, this can be done before or after washing your truck.
If any mud or water is still stuck in crevices around where items were placed in the back of your vehicle, remove those items before vacuuming all remaining dirt. Then use a wet cloth to wipe down both sides of each rail. These tend to get dirty quickly because they’re exposed when openers are used frequently but rarely cleaned themselves unless washed explicitly by hand with soap and water every few weeks.
Several types of bed liner kits can help you clean bed liners and maintain the truck beds. You can find ideal bed liner kits for your requirements on the internet. Go through the products in the kit and how they can help you with bed liner maintenance. Also, buy only from reputed online sellers for the best customer service.
Wax the Bed
The next step is to make sure you’re using high-quality wax. Liquid waxes are good, but many suitable paste waxes are on the market if you prefer them. If it’s waterproof and protects against oxidation, any good automotive wax will do the job nicely.
Once you’ve got your supplies in order and have chosen which type of product you want to use, it’s time to get down to business. First, remove loose dirt from your bed with an old rag or paper towel before applying any sealant or coating, like paint protection film (PPF). You don’t want this stuff mixed up with whatever else might be hiding underneath it all.
Once everything looks nice and clean, especially if there are scratches or scuffs already present, you should give each panel several coats until they look shiny, like chrome bumper caps after rainstorms. Just make sure not too much material builds up around the edges because this could cause flaking over time due to heat generated by friction between layers during driving conditions.
Remove Snow With a DIY Tire Scraper
To remove snow from the bed of your truck, you’ll need a tire scraper. A tire scraper is just a long piece of metal that you can use to scrape away snow or ice from your vehicle’s tires. It can be purchased in many shapes and sizes at any auto parts store.
The easiest way to remove snow with a DIY tire scraper is by placing it between the edge of your truck bed and the wheel well to reach all four tires simultaneously. Then simply swipe back and forth across each tire until all traces of ice are gone.
Afterward, store your DIY tool inside its storage bag so it doesn’t get damaged or lost during storage periods.
Know the Cleaning Chemicals You Use
- Use the right cleaning chemicals. You can use a pressure washer or a power washer to clean your truck bed, but both require the proper cleaning chemicals.
- Pressure washing is best used when dealing with dirt and grime that isn’t too deep into the surface of your truck bed’s finish. If there are stains or other marks in more visible areas of your paint job, it may be worth investing in a power washer instead, but make sure not to use one on any part of your vehicle that isn’t meant for high-pressure water jets.
- Power washing is great at removing paint from surfaces because it uses intense bursts of water pressure instead of just spraying as regular garden hoses do.
The beds are often made of fresh wood, and you must use chemicals with the right ingredients or preservatives that do not harm others, like propiconazole and triadimefon.
Don’t Leave Heavy Gear on the Truck Bed
There’s nothing like loading your truck and heading on a road trip. But unless you’re careful, hauling heavy gear in the bed of your truck can cause damage to both your vehicle and its bed liner.
Heavy items such as lumber, metal pipes, and even furniture should never be placed directly on top of a spray-on or drop-in liner because they could break through it over time. And even if these items don’t puncture through the liner, they can still leave permanent dents in the paint underneath it, even if you don’t see them immediately.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you better understand how to care for your truck bed and keep it in top condition. We know that it can be challenging to keep up with everything, but if you follow our tips and tricks, then you should be able to keep your truck looking great for years.