Are you a trucker, or a trucker’s wife, and have suddenly been faced with the seemingly impossible feat of cleaning your truck? Well, have no fear! Summer is here with a few tips for spot cleaning, deep cleaning, and money-saving ideas for simple truck upkeep. (from the cleanliness perspective) =)
First and foremost, a dry truck is a happy truck. Any time that you have a liquid spill anywhere in the truck, you’ll need to clean it up completely at your soonest convenience. If a spill is left unattended for too long, a variety of crappy thigs will result from it, including (but not limited to): mold, nasty smells, ruined upholstery, and defective electronics. (actual time limit depends on humidity and temperature inside and outside the truck, so take care of spills right away!)
To clean a liquid spill, paper towels may seem like the best solution. However, they are just the first step to cleaning the mess. If you have spilled on an upholstered surface (such as carpet or seats), the liquid has seeped into the upholstery further than you think. I have 2 solutions for this issue. #1-use a hair dryer to dry out the affected area. If you don’t have a hair dryer, or your power inverter can’t handle that kind of appliance, then move on to the next tip. #2- Buy a bag of plain, UNCOOKED rice. Yes, rice. And spread 1 cup of rice per 2 inches of spill, and let it sit for at least 4 hours. The UNCOOKED rice will draw almost all of the moisture from the upholstered surface, without needing any attention. Apply the rice liberally (as in put enough on to cover the wet spot) and vacuum it up when the 4 hour time span has passed. =)Next up is smells. If you cook inside your truck, or have a fair amount of take-away food being consumed inside the truck, chances are your truck has accumulated some of those smells, and it’s getting rather unpleasant. Not to worry, though, we will rid your truck of that stinky-feet-dipped-in-onions-topped-with-anchovies-smell in no time! =)
There are a few ways to get unwanted smells out of your cab and sleeper bunk in a truck. If you have an upholstered/carpeted surface, spreading baking soda powder all over those surfaces will freshen them up. Don’t forget to vacuum the baking soda powder up after letting it sit for up to a day. If you are worried that the baking soda powder will ruin your fabrics, the ABSOLUTE BEST WAY to rid any room/vehicle of unwanted smells is to place an open container of coffee grounds anywhere in the truck (where it won’t spill or tip over) and the coffee grounds themselves will absorb the unwanted smells spectacularly. If you can’t stand the smell of coffee grounds, the baking soda option would be a better strategy for you. I have tested both of these strategies out on my husband’s work boots. While the baking soda powder dried out his sweaty boot soles, it didn’t take out all the smell. When I mixed the baking soda powder with coffee grounds and tossed that inside his stinky work boots, the smell was COMPLETELY gone in 12 hours. I was amazed! So, imagine what a tub of coffee grounds would do to a stinky truck! The size of the coffee can depends on the size of your sleeper truck. Experiment, and find which size of coffee grounds can is right for you.
The next subject we will cover is spot cleaning. Tip #1- Buy a package of unscented baby wipes for use in your truck. If you cook inside your truck, you can use baby wipes and paper towels to gently clean your dishes and cooking appliances, until you have time to wash them with soap at home. Tip #2- A tub of Lysol wipes are the best way to keep the germs in your truck to a minimal level. Almost any shiny surface can by wiped with these disinfecting wipes without ruining your stuff. This includes bunk mattresses, shelves, knobs, switches, the dash, door handles, cupboard drawers, and steering wheels. Tip #3- keep 2 or more smaller trash cans in a truck with a sleeper. The more options you have to throw your trash in the proper area, the more likely the chances are of you having a cleaner truck. The trash cans don’t have to be big, and they don’t have to be on the floor. They can be mounted on shelving units or to the back of your passenger seat with zip ties. =)And now for deep cleaning. Bleach is a great disinfectant, but isn’t for all surfaces. If the surface you are working with can be scratched easily, bleach is not your best option for cleaning it. I would recommend Lysol spray, either aerosol can or spray bottle style, with a roll of paper towels. If you can see a surface, spray it down and wipe it down on your next shut-down period. If you run into some grimy areas that are shredding your paper towels, old tooth brushes will make the scrubbing a breeze. Just don’t forget to rinse the chemical out of the brush when you are done, and try hard not to use that same toothbrush to brush your teeth. =)
That's all for this post. I will post up more tips as they come to my discovery. happy cleaning everyone! =)
First and foremost, a dry truck is a happy truck. Any time that you have a liquid spill anywhere in the truck, you’ll need to clean it up completely at your soonest convenience. If a spill is left unattended for too long, a variety of crappy thigs will result from it, including (but not limited to): mold, nasty smells, ruined upholstery, and defective electronics. (actual time limit depends on humidity and temperature inside and outside the truck, so take care of spills right away!)
To clean a liquid spill, paper towels may seem like the best solution. However, they are just the first step to cleaning the mess. If you have spilled on an upholstered surface (such as carpet or seats), the liquid has seeped into the upholstery further than you think. I have 2 solutions for this issue. #1-use a hair dryer to dry out the affected area. If you don’t have a hair dryer, or your power inverter can’t handle that kind of appliance, then move on to the next tip. #2- Buy a bag of plain, UNCOOKED rice. Yes, rice. And spread 1 cup of rice per 2 inches of spill, and let it sit for at least 4 hours. The UNCOOKED rice will draw almost all of the moisture from the upholstered surface, without needing any attention. Apply the rice liberally (as in put enough on to cover the wet spot) and vacuum it up when the 4 hour time span has passed. =)Next up is smells. If you cook inside your truck, or have a fair amount of take-away food being consumed inside the truck, chances are your truck has accumulated some of those smells, and it’s getting rather unpleasant. Not to worry, though, we will rid your truck of that stinky-feet-dipped-in-onions-topped-with-anchovies-smell in no time! =)
There are a few ways to get unwanted smells out of your cab and sleeper bunk in a truck. If you have an upholstered/carpeted surface, spreading baking soda powder all over those surfaces will freshen them up. Don’t forget to vacuum the baking soda powder up after letting it sit for up to a day. If you are worried that the baking soda powder will ruin your fabrics, the ABSOLUTE BEST WAY to rid any room/vehicle of unwanted smells is to place an open container of coffee grounds anywhere in the truck (where it won’t spill or tip over) and the coffee grounds themselves will absorb the unwanted smells spectacularly. If you can’t stand the smell of coffee grounds, the baking soda option would be a better strategy for you. I have tested both of these strategies out on my husband’s work boots. While the baking soda powder dried out his sweaty boot soles, it didn’t take out all the smell. When I mixed the baking soda powder with coffee grounds and tossed that inside his stinky work boots, the smell was COMPLETELY gone in 12 hours. I was amazed! So, imagine what a tub of coffee grounds would do to a stinky truck! The size of the coffee can depends on the size of your sleeper truck. Experiment, and find which size of coffee grounds can is right for you.
The next subject we will cover is spot cleaning. Tip #1- Buy a package of unscented baby wipes for use in your truck. If you cook inside your truck, you can use baby wipes and paper towels to gently clean your dishes and cooking appliances, until you have time to wash them with soap at home. Tip #2- A tub of Lysol wipes are the best way to keep the germs in your truck to a minimal level. Almost any shiny surface can by wiped with these disinfecting wipes without ruining your stuff. This includes bunk mattresses, shelves, knobs, switches, the dash, door handles, cupboard drawers, and steering wheels. Tip #3- keep 2 or more smaller trash cans in a truck with a sleeper. The more options you have to throw your trash in the proper area, the more likely the chances are of you having a cleaner truck. The trash cans don’t have to be big, and they don’t have to be on the floor. They can be mounted on shelving units or to the back of your passenger seat with zip ties. =)And now for deep cleaning. Bleach is a great disinfectant, but isn’t for all surfaces. If the surface you are working with can be scratched easily, bleach is not your best option for cleaning it. I would recommend Lysol spray, either aerosol can or spray bottle style, with a roll of paper towels. If you can see a surface, spray it down and wipe it down on your next shut-down period. If you run into some grimy areas that are shredding your paper towels, old tooth brushes will make the scrubbing a breeze. Just don’t forget to rinse the chemical out of the brush when you are done, and try hard not to use that same toothbrush to brush your teeth. =)
That's all for this post. I will post up more tips as they come to my discovery. happy cleaning everyone! =)
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