Truck tarps get dirty — it’s true. When you’ve been on the road for what seems like forever, your flatbed tarp will probably be showing signs of the trip. Although new fabrics are designed to resist dirt and clean easily, it is still important to clean the caked on mud and muck on your truck tarp. Caked on grime will eventually shorten your tarp cover’s life span as well as adding unnecessary weight to your tarp. Also, some types of pollutants and chemicals can get stuck on your cover, degrading the tarps coatings and fibers.

With a little elbow grease you can get your tarp looking great before you put it away for the next load. Follow these easy steps:

Step 1:
You will need to spread your tarp out either on a clean flat surface like a driveway, or you can lay out your tarp over your flatbed.

Step 2:
It’s best to use a biodegradable spray tarp cleaner. You can also use just plain dishwashing soap and water if you want. If you choose to use a tarp cleaner, make sure you get one that is designed for flatbed tarps so it will maintain the water resistance of the tarp fabric.

Step 3:
The best way to get a good clean is to spray the tarp and let it sit for a bit, giving the cleaner some time to do its job and loosen up the caked on dirt and grime.

Step 4:
Now you will unfortunately need to scrub your tarp. The best thing to use is a long push broom or something like that so help you take off any of the grime that doesn’t want to come off. Be patient on stubburn areas, a little elbow grease will do the trick.

Step 5:
Take the time to rinse your tarp throughly. You don’t want to leave any cleaning residue on it. Also, this will help you see areas that you may have missed and will let you go back and take care of them.

Step 6:
It is important to let your truck tarp dry completely before putting it away. You might want to consider cleaning your tarp on a nice sunny day to let nature do the work of making sure your tarp is dried completely.

Cleaning your tarp isn’t fun, but taking the time to care for your investment will give you years of continued use and save you money in the long run.

tarpman