Beach Salt Sorrow: Keep Your Truck Clean

Ocean Salt and Your Truck

Nothing says Florida more than hitting the beach to spend a day sunbathing, floating in the water, or hitting the surf with your boogie board. It’s even better when it’s a drive-on beach and your truck is right there parked beside you packed with everything you need. 

Is it bad to drive your truck on the beach?

No, but when it’s time to head home, you will need to do some work to get the “beach” out of your vehicle and keep that fabulous truck in great shape (somebody has to be). Cleaning your vehicle after a beach trip isn’t hard at all. It takes a little time and there are simple steps you can take to remove the "beach salt sorrow" out of your truck. It's even fun - who doesn't love a Shop-Vac and a hose?

Keep salt and sand "castaway"

1. The first thing you should do is remove the floor mats and shake them out. If they’re the carpet kind, beat them vigorously (be careful if you've had too many beers). Since we're a little obsessed with our truck, we follow that by laying the mats down and brushing them with a stiff bristled brush to loosen any remaining beach sand. The longer you let the sand sit, the more it works its way into the fibers of your truck’s carpet (and your bathing suit) and the harder it will be to remove. 
2. Sand and cracks - not a good thing! It easily gets on and underneath the mats and carpets, in between seats, or even on dashboards and consoles. If you can wash your feet at the shower station before you leave the beach and enter your truck, you'll be saving a lot of time. A thorough vacuum of the entire interior of your vehicle will remove most beach sand particles. Focus between all the seat cracks, under and around the seats, any tight corners, and trim cracks, and don’t forget the dashboard and console areas as sand loves to collect there. 
3. Damp seats due to a wet bathing suit is unavoidable after any trip to the beach. Not only wet but salty-wet! Salt is a truck’s enemy so always remember to air dry your interior. Don't close all the windows and doors in the heat. This could help mold growth increase in the hot dampness. Instead, leave your windows open for a couple of hours, allowing the air to dry out any remaining water from your pickup truck. Don't do this in the rain! To avoid the damp seat problem on your next Florida beach visit, put dry towels over your seats to absorb any water. However, even towels may not prevent salt stains on your seats if you’re a regular beachgoer. Better yet purchase some waterproof seat covers to give your truck seats even better protection...and they look great too!
4. Don’t forget the truck bed. If you need to take a nap we're all for it! But, with all your beach gear packed into it, this will get the messiest of all. We're exhausted just thinking about it. To clean this area, remove everything in the bed and vacuum or hose down the whole area. Again, focus on all the corners, cracks, and edges to remove trapped sand. Wipe down metal to prevent rust. Okay, now lie down.
5. When coming back from the beach, don't go straight to scrubbing your truck (whew). Just rinse it down and wash it later. This could avoid any potential damage from salty air and any beach sand caught on the outside of the vehicle. Even one hour in salty air can put a film on your truck.
6. Your truck underbody needs some attention too - doesn't everybody's? After driving on the beach, your underbody needs a good wash out with lots of water (not necessarily high-pressure water) to dislodge any salt and sand. Check under the hood too. Sand can cover your engine. It gets everywhere.

Waterproof truck seat covers

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