Fine desert dust

[RaptorSteve]

So I've been to the desert twice in the past 6-7 weeks. The fine desert dust that floats in the air out there gets in every nook and cranny in the truck, inside and out.

Anyone have any recommendations on the best way to clean it, especially on the interior? My interior looks like a vacuum cleaner exploded inside it.

Here's what I'm thinking...

1. Blow out as much as I can with compressed air.
2. Vacuum as much as I can off the surfaces.
3. Use soap/sponge/water to remove whatever is left being careful on instrument cluster cover and touch screen.
4. Clean seats with leather wipes?
5. Shampoo carpets.

 

[onesickpuppy]

Looks like your list is what most do. Make sure to keep winows up and recirculate air that is in cabin, not outside in.....

 

[BOJANGLES]

Definitely recirculating air is a must as said above. Also be weary of which cleaning products you use, some of them seem to actually ATTRACT dirt to cling to your interior

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

turn it upside down and shake it really good......

 

[Hockster]

Something we did when testing out there in the dirt was to tape up most of the air vents for venting to allow you to shut the doors easily... You can tape them all the way up but the air will struggle to keep it cool... The vents on the pickup are in between the cab and the bed hard to get to but you can do it from underneath...

 

[RaptorSteve]

Yeah, I definitely had it on recirculate the entire time out there, but that stuff is so fine that it finds a way in.

Hockster, There are vents on the back of the cab? From exterior to interior?

I also noticed a ton of dirt gets up behind the rear tail light assemblies when I took them off to install bed bolts, oh my, that's a whole cleaning job in itself. You can see the dirt on the edges of the light assembly. I got most of it out with a self serve car wash wand but there's still a ton of dirt back there.

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

all vehicles have them, just on trucks, its usually behind the rear seats

 

[RaptorSteve]

Well yes, I realize all vehicles have vents of some sort. I thought they were in front of the windshield tho.

 

[onesickpuppy]

turn it upside down and shake it really good......

might get some loose change tooo!!!

Really need a retrofit cabin air filter...

 

[RaptorSteve]

+1 on the cabin air filter.

I was trying to be real careful about not jumping out of the truck upon stopping, ya know, letting the dust clear/settle before I opened the doors. But by day 4 there was a pretty thick layer of fine dust all over the interior.

I must find these mythical rear vents.