A mobile car detailing business success largely relies on you getting to your jobs.A mobile detailing van is necessary for anyone tapping into the auto detailing industry. And because there is so much equipment and cleaners you’ll need to get a job done right, below is a breakdown on how to not only build an optimized mobile detailing van, but also an organized one.
Picking The Right Van For Your Business
Before anything else, you will need to invest in the right detailing van for your business. The van you decide on purchasing depends on a few things you should consider.
Firstly, do you plan on providing your own water supply, or are you going to use your customers’ resources? Will you be parking in small spaces more often than large ones?
Tip: The top-rated cargo vans for cleaning businesses are Ford Transit, RAM ProMaster, Nissan NV200, Chevrolet Express, and Mercedes Benz Sprinter.
Bins, Containers, and Mounted Racks
Once you’ve got your van, the next thing you’ll need to do is invest in all your equipment if you haven’t already. This would include things like a pressure washer, polishers, chamois cloths, microfiber cloths, vapor steamer, waxes, water tank, etc.
Having your kits organized in the back of your vans reduces time wasted due to searching for your equipment and even reduces product damages. Be sure to grab towel bins and install wall-mounted shelving to keep the smaller items organized and in place. You can also take it a step further and add mounted bins, spray bottle holders and drawers on the inside of your van doors.
Your goal should be to have all your things in their own designated spots that you can easily get to. This organizational approach can also give you a clear picture of what your inventory looks like at all times, ensuring stock take is a breeze.
The Big Equipment Tetris
As you know, you cannot place the larger equipment on a wall mount or bin. Instead, the floor of your van is where these items will be going. Think of what equipment you need every time, and what can sit at the back of the van for certain jobs only. Pack the van with the first needed items of the job, trying to keep an order to avoid a scramble when arriving to the job.
Invest In A Hitched Cargo Box
The last thing to consider when building a mobile detailing van is incorporating a hitched cargo box as well. No, this is not necessary, but it can help accentuate your van space and offer you faster access to certain tools and cleaners without even needing to open your van doors. You can essentially put anything you want or need inside a hitched cargo box, as long as you secure it and your stored items properly to avoid damage/spillage. The cool thing about this approach is that you have options, such as a SwingAway frame or a Fixed one. However, for an auto detailing business, a Fixed frame that is durable, lockable, and water-resistant is ideal.
Summary – Organization Is Key
Knowing how to build a mobile detailing van can take a bit of planning and blueprint designing to ensure you can fix everything optimally. Between sizing things up to installing spill-proof shelves/bins, it can take a bit of time to really nail down and get a good, organized rhythm going. In fact, the same goes for customer-facing relations, which is the very reason why fieldd software is fundamental to ensure your front-end processes are just as organized as your back-end ones are.
In summary, investing in the right van, equipment, and software tools is pinnacle to set yourself up for success. How you organize and leverage them is what will cement your future success in mobile detailing. Because in the end, a van is just a van and equipment is just equipment. But when you mesh it all together in an organized and mindful fashion, you can transform those ‘things’ into quite the successful mobile detailing business.
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