What do you find easiest for reaching the roof? Stepstools?
Back of the bed? Do you use extenders or reach by hand?

You can pick up a step stool, platform, or similar at many home improvement stores. If you have step bars, you can stand on them also. I'm not a big fan of brushes or mitts on a stick/pole, but the new Meg's Gold Class body brushes look very nice and are quite soft. Something like that might work also.

What do you find easiest for reaching the roof? Stepstools?
Back of the bed? Do you use extenders or reach by hand?

Mark,

Check out these Rubbermaid items at Target.
Link (http://www.carwares.com/shurline/consumer/carwares/index.jhtml?_requestid=116350)

I just grab my roof rack and step up on the tube steps. Works great.

What do you find easiest for reaching the roof? Stepstools?
Back of the bed? Do you use extenders or reach by hand?

Rinse dust off first and then use soft brush installed on a broom handle.

Yes I use all of the above and when I get tired of streaching and leaning its off to the local car wash! :)

I use a mitt type pad on a stick that extends from the bed of the truck.

I just step up on my running boards, which is about the only good thing I can say about them since they get in my way entering and exiting the truck. I was one of the people who was forced to put the running boards on in order to get the truck repainted. Before I had the running boards, I'd open the doors and step up onto the door sills. But I'd have to be careful to keep any sudsy water from dripping into the cab.

I use THIS (http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10220).

Believe it or not, the only reason I put side steps on my truck is for washing the roof.

I just get up in the bed and then wash the roof....should be the first thing you are washing anyway...then wash the rest...easy as pie!:D

I just get up in the bed and then wash the roof....should be the first thing you are washing anyway...then wash the rest...easy as pie!:D

I made the mistake of reaching for the front of the roof from the bed, put a little pressure on my other hand, and POP- made a little dent. Damn. Chintzy sheet metal. Small enough you have to really look to see it, but it didn't go away.

Stupid me. Stupider Toyota. :mad:

Thanks for the replies.
I've some great ideas now that you posted this, and I'm sure other people have too. Thanks again :tu:

What do you find easiest for reaching the roof? Stepstools?
Back of the bed? Do you use extenders or reach by hand?

It depends on how clean you want to get the roof.

If you want it "appearance clean from a distance" then you can use a soft, flagged bristle brush on a long stick - advantages gets into cracks better. Disadvantages - A brush doesn't clean as well in one swipe as a chenile cotton covered sponge or chenile cotton mitt (or lamb's wool mitt).

A soft cotton or wool covered sponge on a stick works a little better than the above brush for the roof, but the downside is that it will also be harder to release dirt so if you don't rinse it off well it might scratch. Brushes are *very* good for releasing dirt that can scratch when you dunk them in water. The clean well, but not like a solid cloth or sponge.

If you want the roof "clean-clean" the only way to do it is to do it is to climb up on a ladder (a two or three step ladder works fine) and use a cotton covered sponge or lambswool mitt at arms length or less.

To test the difference just use the item on a pole, then hop on a ladder and clean it again with a good chenile covered sponge or lambs wool mitt. You'll see first hand what you missed the first time when using anything attached to a long pole for the reach. It's more noticeable on solid paint like white on what you missed.

Unfortunately, the only way to really clean it the best is also the hardest way.

Even taking it to a car wash doesn't let you off the hook because very rarely will they wipe down the roof since most of the water is blown off. They figure if they can't see it, neither will you. So a moistened stain that might wipe off with a small swipe from a drying towel is not even touched and the stain just dries on the paint again.

But the best way to wipe it down is by hand by far and you can only do that by standing on something. Step tubes can be slippery and if you do wash enough years you'll slide and fall off eventually. (But then again, so what, just don't land on your face or back......)

Personally, I use a ladder that's very similar to this since it's safer than a regular ladder for obvious reasons:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002M9M0U/qid=1121132987/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5863785-5666232?v=glance&s=kitchen&n=599858

But any *aluminum* two or three step ladder with a high handle to hold onto while on the second or third step will work very well.

Get the lightest one you can and you won't bang the paint swinging it around one handed with the sponge in your other hand. The easier it is to move around one handed the better. Since it's pretty easy to get lazy on a heavy one and hit the paint with it when your hand's are full.

I've done a LOT of washing of my vehicles every weekend. Lighter (but still solid and stable) is best by far.

And wash in soft, metal free clothes so you don't scratch the paint when leaning over. It's very easy to put a zipper or button into paint when leaning.


Alan

just washed my truck for the first time yesterday. For the roof, i just hopped into the bed and used my brush (4 foot pole w/ brush on the end) and went to down. Glad i bought this thing, cause i'm a little short to reach. hahaha.

I made the mistake of reaching for the front of the roof from the bed, put a little pressure on my other hand, and POP- made a little dent. Damn. Chintzy sheet metal. Small enough you have to really look to see it, but it didn't go away.

Stupid me. Stupider Toyota. :mad:


bunch the roof from the inside of the car. worked for me.

I don't wash my Tacoma. My wife does. She stands in the bed (absolutely no slipping on that bed mat!!) and uses a very soft bristle long handled brush. No problems with swirls, or dents.

I have a small plastic 2-step step stool - a bit slippery, but not as much as the side steps would be. At 6', I can easily reach the middle of the roof from either side, so I just hose down the entire truck first, climb up and wash the left side of the roof, grab my stepstool and was the right side of the roof, then hose it all down and wash the rest of the truck with my feet firmly planted on the ground. The only other use I have for the stepstool (aside from DRYING the roof) is washing the hood, about a 2 square inch area at the base of the windshield in the middle of the hood.