Effective and efficient vehicle washing
Jack Cockerham, key account manager for transport at Kärcher UK, showcases ways in which fleet managers can boost their vehicle washing efficiency
Maintaining brand image is a crucial part of every commercial fleet manager’s role, as dirty vehicles greatly hamper the aesthetic of the business.
With more HGVs and LCVs on the road than ever before, ensuring that regular cleaning is a key part of your ongoing vehicle maintenance is key to keeping them on the road by extending the service life and reducing wear and tear.
Adopting new cleaning standards and maintaining them can seem like a daunting prospect but when done right, can help to reduce turnaround times, get vehicles back on the road and raise brand reputation.
High pressure hot water cleaning
Robust vehicles such as HGVs may look indestructible, but the paintwork can often be sensitive. To manage this, it is advised that a hot water pressure washer is used to ensure a contactless cleaning process that avoids scratching the vehicle surface, whilst also reaching hard to access bodywork parts.
Additionally, the use of hot water helps to reduce downtime as the high temperature dissolves grease and oil resulting in a more effective clean. This helps boost productivity by preventing the need for manual cleaning to remove any unwanted surface material that may remain when using cold water.
For maximum effectiveness, hot water pressure washers should be used at a 25° angle, working from the top down, continuously maintaining your spray distance. To ensure the same level of clean all over the vehicle, work systematically from the front across one side of the vehicle and to the back before going over to the other side to start again.
It is important to use a hot water pressure washer that has been ergonomically designed to prevent repetitive strain and injury. Due to the size of commercial fleets, using incorrect equipment can cause injury to those cleaning multiple vehicles over extended periods of time, therefore, opting for more ergonomic solutions can boost cleaning efficiency by preventing downtime caused by injury.
For instance, the Easy!Force Trigger Gun from Kärcher has been designed for use over long periods by utilising the pressure of the water to push the trigger into the palm. By removing the requirement to hold down a trigger, users can safely clean multiple vehicles without the risk of hand and finger strain or injury.
Using cleaning agents
After the vehicle has been washed down to loosen any residue dirt particles, effective cleaning agents such as Kärcher’s VehiclePro Foam Cleaner RM 828, can be applied to support the removal of stubborn oil and grease stains, insect residues and road dirt.
The foam cleaning agent can easily be applied using a foam nozzle accessory that can be placed on the end of the pressure washer. As the pressurised water passes through the trigger gun, it draws the detergent up from the foam nozzle and mixes it with the water where it is then sprayed onto the vehicle.
It is important to evenly apply the cleaning agent across the whole vehicle, working from one side of the vehicle to the other to ensure an even spread. Once the cleaning agent has been applied for its acting time, it must then be rinsed off using the hot water pressure washer for an effective overall clean.
In summary
Vehicle washing is a key part of overall vehicle maintenance, helping to protect brand image as well as vehicle health. Utilising hot water pressure washers and effective cleaning agents is a great way to boost productivity and efficiency when it comes to vehicle washing, to prevent downtime and to keep vehicles on the road.
