How to Clean Tonneau Cover

For cleaning a tonneau cover, the first thing you need to do is find a shady area. You can prepare a cleaning solution yourself. Just clean your tonneau cover with a cleaning solution, rinse it off and let it dry, and you are done!

How to Clean Tonneau Cover

As you’re intending to wash your car’s tonneau cover, here’s what you ought to go through-

Step-1: Follow the manual

Cleaning a tonneau cover is quite easy. But, if there are any model-specific instructions, you need to go through them. There can be some steps you are unaware of. So it’s better to go through a manual. Some manuals might say that you will need help, ask a friend to assist in this case.

Step-2: Find a shady area

To effectively clean your cover, a shady place is the best choice. You can park your pick-up under a tree or park it in your garage if you have one.

Step-3: Spray water on your cover

For this step, you can use a bucket. However, spraying water is more preferable.

Step-4: Clean the cover with a cleaning solution

You can prepare a cleaning solution yourself. For this, you will need water, a car-washing solution, and a scrub brush. 

Pour half cup of car wash solution and water into a bucket. In case you have a softcover, use a specialized tonneau cover cleaner. The one with UV protection and conditioners are more preferable. Use a scrub brush to spread the solution over the cover.

Remember not to apply much pressure while cleaning. Move the brush in different directions. For stubborn dirt, you can soak the brush for five minutes before cleaning.

Step-5: Rinse the cover and let it dry

Use clean water to rinse the cover. Leave it to dry. Once it’s dried, place it back into your truck. 

Now you are done cleaning the tonneau cover!

How to Clean Tonneau Cover Bakflip

Usually, Bakflip tonneau covers are cleaned with water and quality automotive soap. You need to wash them with a cloth or soft sponge. Drying it with chamois leather gives a polished finish. You should not use wax as it might affect the textured panel finish. Also, no abrasives or harsh cleaners should be used.

Cleaning Hard Tonneau Cover

While cleaning the hard tonneau cover, you need to rinse it lightly. Use a soft brush to remove dirt and debris that can prevent the conditioner from soaking into the cover. Give it a light rinse again to remove any loose debris and dry it for ten to fifteen minutes. 

Make 3 to 4 sections at a time. So, when you are done brushing the vinyl surface, the first section will be ready for further cleaning. Now, you can use a cleaner. Spray the cleaner on the cover and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. Circularly do this process. In case you are living in a hot sunny climate, clean your cover in a shady place.

How to Condition After Cleaning a Vinyl Tonneau Cover

After cleaning a vinyl tonneau cover, it becomes faded and somewhat discolored. In this case, you need to use a microfiber applicator. Rub the applicator into the surface. A highly concentrated conditioner can restore and protect faded plastics and vinyl.

Apply it in different directions to make it through the textured surfaces. Once you are done applying, let it dry for half an hour. You will notice a shiny surface. Now, you can use a microfiber cloth to remove any excess conditioner. Work in different directions.

Wolfsteins Vs Meguiar’s Tonneau Cover Cleaner Performance

Both Wolfstein’s and Meguiar’s tonneau cover cleaning products can effectively clean and protect tonneau cover cleaner. You can use them on both interior and exterior surfaces.

Wolfstein’s work to restore the shine of your cover. And it’s safe for paint, rubber, chrome, and other surfaces of your vehicle. Well, it is one of the pricier options.

When it comes to conditioning, Meguiar’s attracted less dust compared to other vinyl conditioners. The only downside of Meguiar’s is for a hard tonneau cover, you will have to pre-clean it. It works better on a light vinyl cover. 

FAQ

Q: How to clean lightly soiled tonneau covers?

Ans: You don’t have to do much to clean a lightly soiled tonneau cover. Spray some vinyl cleaner on a microfiber cloth. Now, wipe the cover with the cloth. With each application, you can wipe about two to three sq. feet at a time. Most of the cleaners dry without needing any rinsing.

Q: Is it okay if my tonneau cover goes through a car wash?

Ans: Your cover can go through a car wash but you have to take precautions to protect your tonneau cover. You need to inspect it for any previous damage. This goes both for the hard and soft covers regardless of the design.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to clean your tonneau cover. You may have bought your cover recently, or it’s your first truck bed cover. Whatever the reason be, you need to make sure that you have a clean cover. Cleaning a tonneau cover is not a huge task. However, you need to make sure that you don’t use any strong or harmful chemicals and cleaning agents on your cover.