What To Clean And Preserve Vinyl Truck Bed Cover

Find out why routine maintenance matched with TruXedo Pro-Tex Cleaner will extend the life and performance of your tonneau encompass.

It's no surreptitious that a tonneau cover tin can really level up your truck game — specially if you need a solution for keeping all your tools and gear organized and secure. Plus, tonneaus add a dainty finishing touch on to the overall look of a pickup, ordinarily with a clean, black terminate. Simply it's of import to annotation that if you don't take care of your tonneau, it can't take care of you.

With that in listen, let's have some time to break downwards exactly how to intendance for your vinyl tonneau embrace, and then it'll stay in tip-top shape all twelvemonth circular.

For some expert communication on cleaning and maintenance, we took a cue from tonneau maker TruXedo. The manufacturer builds covers that offer security and protection for valuable cargo and practical add together-ons for truck bed organization.

Why Should I Clean My Tonneau Cover?

Regardless of whether a truck is a daily driver for work or an outdoor adventure vehicle, your tonneau cover will endure Mother Nature'southward wrath. Whether y'all're in a dry, arid climate, a wet, muggy 1, or somewhere in between, the comprehend becomes a magnet for clay, dust, mud, debris, bird poop, and harsh sunlight. Plus, regularly opening and closing the tonneau adds to the wear and tear. Over fourth dimension, all those elements take their cost on your fresh new cover, dulling the terminate and taking away that make-new look.

Bottle of TruXedo Pro-Tex Cleaner sitting on clean black tonneau cover

Who wants a faded, tired-looking accessory stuck on their truck?

The central to maintaining the lifespan of a tonneau is treating it like the rest of the truck. That means setting aside some time to clean, condition, and treat information technology. TruXedo Pro-Tex Cleaner is constructive enough to be directly applied to that ho-hum and dirty cover. However, we recommend dedicating a little more than time and effort to the cleaning process to ensure the cleaner performs to the all-time of its ability. (Especially if you're looking at a fiddling more build-up than usual.)

How Do I Clean My Tonneau?

For an all-points cleaning of your tonneau, you'll want to gather up a few essential items to get the job done. TruXedo recommends balmy soap and h2o every bit a cleaning solution for its covers, and nosotros discover this rule of thumb applies pretty much across the board. Yous'll besides demand a bucket or hose for water, a few rags, and a loftier-quality soft bristle brush to scrub out the heavier grime build-up. You'll want to avoid direct sunlight, so either park the truck in a shadier spot or relieve the cleaning for an overcast twenty-four hours.

Depending on how heavily soiled the cover is, give the tonneau a quick rinse then gently loosen upwardly dirt and droppings with the castor. Give the surface another rinse and wash information technology down with the mild soap and cloth. After all the same one more rinse, you can let the tonneau air-dry, but we advise using a microfiber towel. The towel volition pick upwards more than grime that the final rinse couldn't remove. Information technology volition also sop up any excess moisture and ensure a nice, streak-free finish.

Man in flannel shirt hoses down back of truck with concentrated sprayer

If you're curt on time, y'all can too accept the truck to a car wash. (Yikes — nosotros know.) Withal, you should still requite the embrace an extra rinse to remove any remaining soap residue or clay.

Annotation: One matter you should definitely avoid is any heavy-duty chemic cleaning solutions. TruXedo cautions drivers to never employ vinyl conditioners with silicone, petroleum, or citrus additives because they tin scissure and compress the tonneau's vinyl surface.

What Near Routine Maintenance?

Proper functioning and routine maintenance are also central to ensuring a long lifespan for your tonneau. In addition to cleaning the top of the comprehend, here are a few other details to include in your routine intendance:

Open and handle information technology properly.

This might seem small-scale, but incorrectly opening/endmost or handling the encompass will ruin its integrity over time. Each cover has a specific ready of instructions on the proper way to open up/close it, then make sure to follow manufacturer instructions. For case, with the hard-rolling TruXedo Sentinel, users should never slide cargo across the cover's surface. Similarly, you shouldn't store cargo on top of the tonneau since it can cause cosmetic and structural harm.

Make certain it's secured.

Again, common sense here, but you should too periodically check that the cover is deeply fastened to your truck bed. Audit the clamps and forepart header guide-slides to ensure they haven't come loose. This is partially for safety, but also to prevent the clamps from moving around and scraping upward the truck or getting bent and ruining the total functionality of the tonneau.

close-up of rain water on TruXedo Sentry tonneau cover

Check the rear latch closures.

Spotter for grime and dirt build-up in the rear latch closures. Also much build-upward tin cause the latches to stick and not move properly. You lot can lubricate the latches periodically with silicone spray subsequently cleaning the area. (Just exist careful not to go the spray on the tonneau encompass.)

Remove snowfall and ice gently.

When cleaning off snow or ice, care for the tonneau only like the rest of the truck. Don't apply sharp or pointed tools; stick with a broom or brush to gently clear off the encompass.

Cut down on dust-tracking marks.

Periodically wipe out the side rail surfaces, rubber slat cease-caps, and the underside surface of the embrace. This will reduce the "dust-tracking marks" you might see when rolling the cap upwardly. TruXedo also recommends plugging air holes in truck construction boxes to cut downwards on excess dust and dirt blowing into the truck box.

Using Pro-Tex Cleaner

After removing the heavy crud, you can apply the Pro-Tex Cleaner. TruXedo Pro-Tex cleans, conditions, and protects — and is perfect for keeping your vinyl tonneau cover looking proficient-as-new. It's a non-toxic, h2o-based formula that contains no harmful silicones, and it'southward uncomplicated to use.

Bottle of Pro-Tex Cleaner sitting on tonneau cover showing before and after effects

Spray a low-cal and even glaze onto the top of the tonneau, wipe information technology off with a microfiber rag in gentle, round motions. Subsequently that, you lot're back in business. Pro-Tex extends the life of your cover, conditioning the vinyl, repelling water and dirt, and protecting it from harmful UV rays.

The best part?

It'southward an all-purpose cleaner! Pro-Tex is rubber to employ when detailing other areas of the truck, like tires, dash, rims, and trim. It can fifty-fifty be used on convertible tops, pregnant more than i vehicle tin can reap its benefits.

"Vinyl and plastic components collect dust and make your car look old and unkempt," explains car repair service business,Your Mechanic. "Aside from cleaning the floors, cleaning the vinyl makes the greatest restorative difference when you lot detail your car."

For cleaning interior vinyl with Pro-Tex Cleaner, we follow the advice of classic motorcar insurers Hagerty. They recommend spraying the cleaner onto a foam applicator or cotton terry fabric towel "so you lot have more control and don't overspray on other surfaces." Piece of work the cleaner gently and thoroughly and wipe off any excess. Work in sections and echo the process up to two-iii times if needed.

We hither at the Engine Block know how much yous love your truck. We beloved your truck too! That's why we recommend TruXedo Pro-Tex Cleaner to keep your tonneau clean, conditioned, and protected, so you'll have it for years to come.