When your main office is your work truck, SUV, or cargo van, you must stay organized so you can keep moving, no matter what your business. When traveling from job to job, it’s easy for your work truck or van interior to become dirty, disorganized, and in general disarray. But have no fear! We’ve got you covered.
If you own a work van or truck, you already know the three most important service/maintenance checks that keep your vehicle running smoothly: oil changes, proper coolant levels, and healthy tires. While these are must-dos for any work truck or van, your vehicle’s resale value also depends on its interior maintenance.
Here, we offer five tips on how to maintain the interior of your work truck, SUV, or cargo van. After all, regular maintenance will save time and money.
1. Organize, organize, organize.
What’s the best way to keep your van or work truck organized? Give every item a home. Tools, equipment, parts and accessories, spare materials, etc. should all have a special place in your truck or van. These homes could be in designated drawers, on shelves, or in storage containers. Then, the only trick is to remember to place those items in their proper place every time you finish using them.
The first step to organizing is to build your foundation. Choose storage containers that are heavy-duty and can be secured to the ground. Larger items should be stored closer to the ground, with space for smaller items above. Remember to organize it in a way that makes sense to how you use your vehicle. Most-used items toward the door, for example.
To save time on restocking your product inventory, create customized labels for each storage bin. Barcodes can be placed on each label so you can easily check inventory with a barcode scanner (find barcode scanners as mobile apps for free or low cost).
2. Add a bulkhead.
If you don’t already have a bulkhead in your van or work truck, you may need to consider purchasing one. Does your business require you to use tools or any loose items? If so, adding a bulkhead to protect the front seats from the cargo in the back is crucial.
With a bulkhead, you’re essentially creating a wall as a barrier between you and your supplies. The last thing you want to do is have items flying and injuring the driver and front-seat passenger.
Some bulkheads come with cutouts so you can still see the back area, while others are solid. Shop around for various kinds of steel (or other metal) partitions to create a barrier between the front seat and the back of your business vehicle.
3. Think vertically to utilize extra space.
As previously mentioned, the first step to maximizing your organizing design skills in your pickup truck or cargo van is to build a solid foundation. Next, look up. When placing smaller items, think vertically. They can be placed on shelves. You can purchase pegboards online or from your local hardware store for tools.
For cargo vans, make sure you light the most used areas well. If there’s space, you can string a rope across the van from side to side to hang lighter items like additional cords. For your pickup truck, consider adding a roof rack to store extra items.
4. Cover it up.
To keep your interior upholstery in good condition, protect your original seats and floors by covering them up. Use custom-fitted seat covers for the seats and heavy-duty floor mats and floor liners for the floors.
CalTrend’s DuraPlus seat covers are custom-tailored to fit your seats like a glove. Plus, they are UV-, mildew-, scuff-, and water-resistant. Other aftermarket manufacturers offer heavy-duty, all-weather floor liners that are custom fit for your truck or van.
Other items to protect your interior from damage include dashboard covers, window shades or blockers, and steering wheel covers.
5. Deep clean regularly.
It may sound obvious but consider creating a regular cleaning schedule for your work truck or van. Even once per month can do wonders for maintaining or keeping your work vehicle in top condition.
For each deep cleaning session, you’ll thoroughly clean even those hard-to-reach areas, throw away unneeded items and trash, and vacuum every nook and cranny.
In between sessions, keep a cleaning kit with wipes, cleaning spray, odor fresheners, towels, etc. so you can quickly clean up messes such as spills as soon as possible.
About Us
CalTrend is your online destination for custom seat covers for your SUV, cargo van, or work truck. We provide custom seat covers to fit the exact configuration of your vehicle’s seats, and all of our products are made 100% in the USA. Shop by Vehicle or Contact Us for more information.