How To Clean the Interior of Your UTV

Table of contents:

What You’ll Need How To Clean the Inside Of A Side-By-Side

22 January 2023

Getting dirty is part of the off-roading experience, proof to yourself and everyone who sees your machine that you had an amazing ride. But you can’t leave that dust, debris, and mud on your machine or you’ll be replacing it pretty quick. Both the exterior and interior of a UTV will need to be cleaned, but the interior can seem trickier. In this post, we’ll cover how to clean UTV interior.

Image from www.everythingkawasakioffroad.com

What You’ll Need

So, what do you use to wash the inside of the vehicle? Thankfully, you’ll mostly use the same stuff you use for the exterior of your UTV. Side by sides are made to be easily washable because everyone knows that they’re going to get dirty.

Make sure you have:

Car wash detergent or a detergent specifically made for off-roaders (This’ll remove mud faster)
A garden hose or pressure washer
A foam gun
Microfiber cloths
A scraper for mud
A soft brush
Mud prevention treatment

An important note about the hose vs pressure washer decision: garden hoses are both easier to acquire because most of us already have them and safer to use on your machine. The only downside is that their gentle spray doesn’t remove mud as fast. If you use a pressure washer, be very careful to avoid parts of your vehicle that will be damaged by water and use a gentler setting.

How To Clean the Inside Of A Side-By-Side

Do It Soon

The sooner you clean your UTV, the easier it will be. When mud starts to dry out, it becomes like cement. Get it while it’s fresher.

Protect

Consider everything on and in your machine that doesn’t need to get wet, electrical components and sensitive wiring, for instance. Plan how you will avoid these areas with the pressure washer, remove them (if possible), or cover them up.

Also determine if there are drain plugs you need to open before you start spraying.

Pre-rinse

Go over everything with a spray of just water. Use the highest force on your garden hose or a slightly higher setting than you plan to use elsewhere with your pressure washer to blast away the biggest chunks of mud. Getting the thickest pieces will make the rest of your cleaning easier, and you can rehydrate all the mud to loosen it up. Go ahead and remove whatever can be washed off with just water. Remember to use a gentler setting near sensitive areas.

Soap it Up

Now, apply the soap. It is easier to do this with a foam gun as you can just spray the lathered soap all over. If you don’t have one, put your detergent in a bucket with water and lather up everything manually with a microfiber cloth or mitt. If your seats need a deep clean, you can take them out so it’s easier to get to them.

Wait around 3-5 minutes for the soap to work into the mud and dirt.

Rinse

Rinse all that soap off. Most, if not all, of the mud and dirt should come off.

Brush or Scrape

Now, examine the machine for sand, dirt, debris, and mud that are stuck in crevices or adhered more stubbornly.

Use your brush, scraper, or a cloth to remove these remaining bits.

Rinse again.

Dry

You shouldn’t air dry your UTV. You can, but it will leave ugly water spots. So, take some microfiber cloths and manually dry your machine.

Apply Mud Prevention

Now is a good time to apply mud prevention treatments to make mud stick more loosely. Your next clean will be much easier. There could be various materials in the interior of your UTV, so you may need multiple types of treatment to work for each surface. But maybe not. It all depends on your machine and the product.