A van body looks simple: painted steel panels and a printed livery. The cleaning question behind it is not. Before we quote a steam cleaning machine for a fleet of delivery vans, we ask for the body details in writing, because the paint condition and the panel materials decide how the machine is set up, and the wash position decides whether it can be used there at all.
This article lists what to collect, and the order we use it in: first the van body, then the position where it is cleaned, then the daily work pattern.
What to record on the van body
Start with the paint. Note the colour or colours, whether the surface carries a vinyl wrap or printed decals, and whether any panel has been repainted or repaired. Wrap edges, decals, and repairs that were not finished to the original specification react to heat differently from factory paint, so within one van the settings may have to change from panel to panel.
Then record the panels: which surfaces are steel, which are aluminium, which are plastic or composite, and where trim, seals, and adhesives meet the painted area. The vehicle steam cleaning machine page lists body cleaning at fuelling stations and parking areas, together with interior work and engine-compartment work, so one machine usually covers more than the outside panels. Every additional surface is another item that has to be described before the quote.
Check the position where the van is cleaned
Measure the parking position, not the van. Write down the clearance height above the position, the width of the working lane, where the water tap and drain are, and what electrical supply is available. A fixed machine needs a permanent supply and a working radius around one point; a mobile unit suits a fleet that has to be cleaned where it parks. If vans are cleaned on the street outside the depot, note how far the machine has to be moved and where the water comes from.
Power is the usual constraint. On the HW02 page we publish 220 V working voltage, 6 kW heating power, the tank capacity, and the machine dimensions including the handles. When we quote, we match those published figures to the machine that would actually be supplied for your site, because a model name is not always worded the same way in the product title and in the parameter area. Checking that before the order keeps the quotation tied to one agreed specification.
Record how the vans are used each day
Write down the soil, not the job title. Road film, grime along the lower body panels, residue in the door rails, and dust on the roof line each need a different dwell time and a different number of passes. Note the routine too: how many vans are cleaned per day, whether cleaning happens between routes or overnight, and whether staff move the machine or leave it in one place.
Water handling belongs in the record as well. The HW02 inlet is described as tap water with a 4-point internal-tooth joint, so we need to know what water supply the site can provide. State whether the wash position has a drain, and whether run-off can be collected where the machine is used. The same fixed steam cleaning machine page shows the body, interior and engine-compartment work the unit is listed for; the site conditions decide whether that list can be worked through in practice.
How this information is used in the quote
With the paint and panel list, the measured working position, and the soil description, we can say which mode to start with, which surfaces need a reduced setting, and whether a fixed unit or a mobile unit fits the site. The PowerDe cleaning equipment range covers both fixed and mobile machines, so site conditions and daily volume carry as much weight as the van itself.
Send photographs of a typical dirty van, the parking position, and the water and power points, together with the panel and paint notes. That package is enough for us to recommend a starting method; where the site falls outside the published configuration, we discuss the customisation options and testing rather than promising a fixed specification.
