How To Clean Up Raptor Liner? No matter how strong you think your bedliner is, it deserves to be cleaned regularly. Cleaning a raptor liner ensures your car looks clean and neat.
In the process, you can also identify areas where the raptor liner is wearing out, and you can perform the necessary repairs before the damage spreads to other parts.
Dirt and debris have a habit of settling on raptor liners, and these are the common culprits that will lower the condition of your bedliner. Therefore cleaning them is essential.
If this is your first time owning a truck with a bedliner, you may be a little bit confused about how to clean it. We will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to do so, as well as share with you tips on how to maintain your raptor liner.
How To Clean Up Raptor Liner?
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A Guide to Cleaning a Raptor Liner
Step 1 – Sweep Dirt off the Raptor Liner
It is very common for dirt to build up in a truck, especially if the cargo area is open. When you park your car under a tree, the leaves will fall on the bedliner.
As you drive around, dust debris and everything else you come into contact with will most likely fall on the bedliner.
Even if you have a cover installed, dirt will always find its way into the bedliner. Plus, the cargo you carry might also leave dirt behind.
Due to the above factors, the most critical step in cleaning a raptor liner is by sweeping off the dirt. You don’t need any special equipment for this.
A broom should do the trick. A lot of people ignore this step. However, people don’t know that removing dirt makes the next step much easier, and it speeds up the cleaning process.
Step 2 – Water Spray the Bedliner
A lot of people start with this step. But we have already explained why you need to sweep the dirt off a bedliner first. Spraying the bedliner with water is a relatively simple procedure.
You will need a pressure washer. This is very useful in removing dirt stuck in the corners. There will be some stubborn dirt that was left behind after sweeping. The pressure washer will remove this.
As you water spray the bedliner, direct it outside your truck. You can also use a broom to direct the water outside the truck. Water spraying the bedliner is a crucial step.
Do not skip it. For those who don’t have a pressure washer, you can pour water on the bedliner using a regular garden hose and scrub it out using a broom.
Step 3 – Begin Washing the Raptor Liner
Grab your car washing shampoo, water, a sponge, and a stiff bristle deck brush. It’s now time to wash the truck. Mix the shampoo in water to form a lather.
Grab the sponge and start cleaning the raptor liner. On stubborn stains, use the stiff bristle deck brush. From time to time, your raptor bedliner will get stained. And some may not come off so quickly.
Wash the liner while paying attention to the corners. On stubborn stains, scrub them using soap and a brush. Repeat till the area is clean.
You can use ordinary car wash shampoo or household detergents as you choose the best soap for washing the raptor liner.
Please avoid harsh cleaning solutions or chemicals. These will only do more harm than good.
Step 4 – Rinse and Dry
Using your pressure washer, rinse the soap solution on the raptor liner. Pay a lot of attention to the corners since this is where soap likes to hide.
You should notice the raptor liner starting to shine or look newer as you do this. Rinse while driving water off the bedliner. This is to avoid leaving stagnant water at the front.
Confirm whether the liner is clean. If not, you can repeat steps number 3 and 4. Having been satisfied that your raptor liner is clean, take it out to the sun and let it dry.
If you are in a hurry, you can always wipe it off using a dry cloth. Do not drive around with a wet raptor liner, especially if you don’t have a cover. Water attracts dust easily. And it will get dirty sooner than it would have when it was dry.
How Often Should I Wash My Raptor Liner?
We would recommend washing it as many times as you use it. If your truck bedliner spends most of its days empty and covered, you don’t need to wash it regularly since it isn’t exposed to dirt.
However, if your bedliner isn’t covered and you are always ferrying cargo, we would recommend washing it at least once every week.
Depending on the frequency of usage, you can wash it twice per week. When it comes to cleaning a raptor liner, how often you should do it depends on how you use the bedliner.
Raptor Liner Maintenance
Washing and maintenance often go hand in hand because both ensure that the liner retains its properties for longer.
The first step towards maintaining your raptor liner is by washing it regularly. Even though this coating is tough, it does look terrible when exposed to dirt. This is why you should clean it as often as you can.
What other forms of maintenance can I perform on a raptor liner besides cleaning?
- Pressure Wash
Even though we listed this as one of the critical steps in washing a raptor liner, pressure washing by itself is one of the ways you can maintain this coating.
According to the manufacturers of raptor liners, they are well aware not everyone pressure washes the liner when cleaning it.
And because of that, they recommend these liners to be pressure washed every once in a while. The purpose of pressure washing is to remove stubborn dirt or debris hidden in the corners.
- Thorough Scrubbing
The other thing you need to do frequently is scrub the raptor liner. If you often carry cargo, the raptor liner will be stained. Some stains are more stubborn than others, and you have to scrub them.
After installing a raptor liner, we recommend buying a hard bristle brush. Raptor liner is very tough, and a soft brush may not effectively remove stains.
When the liner gets dirty, you can always scrub it using this brush. That should leave it looking sparkling clean.
If possible, invest in a tonneau cover
If the liner has been installed on your truck bed, we strongly advise you to invest in a tonneau cover. A tonneau cover does more than protect cargo from the elements and theft. It also protects the bedliner.
Installing a raptor liner is an investment that should serve you for the longest time. That won’t be possible if it’s exposed to the elements, which can lead to fast wear.
- The other form of maintenance that your Raptor liner needs are care and attention
After every trip ferrying cargo, always clean the bedliner lightly. When chemicals spill on the raptor liner, clean them off using a dry cloth.
Avoid parking the car under direct sunlight. Even though raptor liner is UV resistant, it is bound to feel the effects of direct sunlight after a while.
Is Cleaning a Raptor Liner Hard?
Once the raptor liner dries on the surface of your car, it is very easy to clean.
As a coating, the raptor liner dries into a super hard surface. This makes it very easy to sweep and clean debris or dirt from the surface.
Considering how tough it is, the raptor liner can withstand hard scrubbing or even some of the strongest cleaning products. We, however, don’t recommend using strong cleaners as these will do more harm than good.
Can Pressure Wash Damage Raptor Liner?
Not at all. If the raptor liner can withstand impact, then the strength of a pressure washer won’t have much effect on it. Pressure washing the Raptor liner is one of the best ways to clean and maintain it.
A pressure washer effectively removes dirt and stubborn stains on the liner. If you have installed a raptor liner, get a pressure washer, making cleaning easy and fast.
Is Raptor Liner Car Wash Friendly?
It is safe for you to send raptor liner through a car wash. As a coating, it is very strong and can withstand machine car washes.
The only concern with car washes is that they often use ingredients such as chlorine.
These, if left to dry on the bedliner, can bleach or discolor it. It would be best to wash the car at home and use recommended products.
Washing Raptor Liner By Myself vs. Paying an Expert to Do It
Both have pros and cons. It is up to you to evaluate which method is ideal for you. Washing a raptor liner yourself is cheaper than paying someone to do it.
You may get tired, but raptor liners are easy to clean and won’t take much of your time. By doing it yourself, you can use safer cleaning products. But, if you are in a hurry or the raptor liner is super dirty, paying someone to do it is an excellent idea.