We carry fleet washing chemicals for contractors that are deciding to venture further into fleet washing. The work is steady,year-round, and it pays pretty well in high volume. Like any discipline, there are things to know before you start that will help you get off on the right foot. Besides buying a nice soft bristle brush, there are several things you need to think about before you venture into a business like fleet washing.

We carry a number of different fleet washing chemicals and types of washing methods for vehicles. Everyone knows how to pull out a bucket and a sponge and some soap to wash the family car and then rinse it with the hose. While that works fine on Saturday morning on your Saturn, it is probably not the most efficient method you could choose for finishing 50 trucks.

One well-known professional method is called “two-stepping”. In this technique, you hit the dirty surface with an acid-based fleet washing chemicals and then finish with an alkaline neutralizer. By switching between the opposite ends of the pH spectrum, the dirt is “popped” off the surface. These acid based fleet washing chemicals are used for the first part of the process is usually made with hydrofluoric acid. One of our hydrofluoric-based fleet washing chemicals is called Aluma Brite. This very aggressive fleet washing chemicals are perfect for any type of truck or fleet washing and for washing aluminum surfaces.

Most fleet washing chemicals use Hydrofluoric acid

Hydrofluoric acid is extremely dangerous for inexperienced people to use, however. It travels through the skin to seek and destroy the calcium in your bones and body. Severe exposure to hydrofluoric acid can be fatal in a matter of hours.

Since so many fleet washers rely on the two – step method for fast, effective results, Sun Brite Supply developed a Safety Ointment for emergency use after exposure to hydrofluoric. It can add several hours of time for you to get medical attention. We offer this with every purchase of our hydrofluoric fleet washing chemicals.

We also offer alternatives to hydrofluoric- based fleet washing chemicals, for those who are willing to sacrifice some of the aggressiveness of hydrofluoric for the safety of a different acid. We offer a citric/phosphoric solution called Aluma Safe that we sell all over the country to fleet washing companies. Because our have been specially tested and designed for fleet washing contractors, these  products are made to remove the toughest stains and soil from any type of fleet or construction equipment.

My personal favorite fleet washing chemicals are Big Truck Brite & Fleet Brite.

This fleet washing chemical is less aggressive than Fleet Brite, but it can be used on all surfaces and it leaves the vehicle with a near-wax shine. I use it on my own truck, and those of you who know how I feel about my truck will understand exactly what that means. By the way, we have Wet Wax that you can add to any fleet washing chemical to get that shine on the vehicle that fleet managers are looking for. (NOTE: We have lots of customers who even buy Wet Wax and add it to house wash mixtures for a nice gleam on vinyl and aluminum!)

Besides all of these concentrated fleet washing chemicals, we offer a powdered product called Pearl Sheen. This product is relatively new to our stable from the folks at Extreme Solutions (the HD-80 people). We know that some of you prefer powders and some prefer liquids, so we decided to carry both.

Most fleet washing chemicals work better with hot water than cold. If you don’t have a hot water pressure washer, you will use about twice the amount of fleet washing chemicals to get the job done. It’s pretty tough to wash fleets in January in Alaska if you don’t have hot water, too. There are alternatives to buying a new hot water pressure washer if you don’t already have one, though. Sun Brite Supply has Hot Boxes, which are heaters designed to connect to cold water machines.

The water you use for fleet washing makes a big difference, too. Many cleaners like to use de- ionized water (D. I. for short). This water goes through a treatment that makes it rinse off the vehicle without spots. A good wash rinse is the key to getting the most professional results. If you don’t have a D. I. system, there are some easy alternatives to D. I. that are extremely inexpensive. We have a product call SoSoft, for example, that costs only pennies to use and is almost as effective as using D. I. with your fleet washing chemicals, you just add it to your water to end up with a spot-free rinse.