Five Tips for a Clean Van - Your Van Reflects More Than Your Face

If you run a business that involves you using a van, have you ever thought what the van says about you? If customers can see your reflection in your van then that is a good reflection on your business. You wouldn't turn up to a job interview without polishing your shoes or ironing your shirt, yet many business people do turn up to see a client, or even worse a prospective client's house, in a dirty van. Of course there is dirty, and then there is dirty. A bit of dirt on your van is acceptable, but when it is so dirty that people have written on it, or even worse, your details are covered up, then this is perhaps a bit too dirty. Same goes for the interior of the van. If your client sees a messy interior, he might think that you are a messy worker. If you are a tradesman going into people's homes then this really isn't good. So here are 5 tips to help you keep a clean van.

1 - Now this is obvious, but wash your van regularly. Even a cold water spray with a hose just to knock off some of the dirt is better than no wash at all. The more often that you clean your van the quicker it is each time.

2 - Use a soft brush. A soft brush dipped in a builder's bucket of soapy water really cuts through a lot of dirt. On vans it can save you from getting out the step ladders to do the hard to reach areas. Just make sure that the brush has no grit on it or you might scratch the paint-work.

3 - Before you start, hose off the van. This stage is often overlooked. If you don't do this then when you use a cloth, sponge, or brush to clean the van, you might be rubbing grit into the paintwork and putting scratches into it.

4 - Never use washing up liquid. Eventually, washing up liquid will dull the paint-work. It is better to buy a wax-type soap.

5 - Save time and don't dry all of the van. This is never advocated for a car, but after all, this is a van. You are not trying to get a sparkling showroom finish, just a clean van. It is worth drying the area that has your logo and contact details on as this is the bit that people are most likely to look at. When you dry these sections, a towel, or a wet leather usually works best.

By keeping your van clean, you will also be keeping your windows clean. Clean windows mean better visibility, and hopefully less chance of being involved in an accident. Using this logic, keeping your van clean, will help keep you licence clean, and will therefore lead to lower van insurance premiums.

If you gave someone a dirty, dog-eared business card, it just wouldn't look good. So apply the same thinking to your van, and keep it clean.