Forklifts are your business’ work horses and essential warehouse assets. As such, they need to be looked after properly so you can get the most out of them for as long as possible. It’s imperative that your team are across the best ways to clean a forklift because believe it or not, if you don’t clean them properly you can actually cause more problems! Follow our top tips and you won’t step a foot wrong.
Tip #1 Wear protective equipment
Always practice safety first, even when cleaning a forklift. Before you get started, ensure you have the correct safety equipment on, for example, protective goggles, boots and gloves. You may need to wear other items but that will depend on what your forklift comes into contact with throughout it’s work day.
Tip #2 Brush off loose dirt and debris first
Even if you aren’t going to wash your forklift, you should regularly grab a broom, brush or duster and give the forklift a once over, brushing off any loose debris, dust and rust. Doing this stops those items building up over time, making them much easier to clean off come wash time – ever cleaned a car with caked on mud? It’s not easy!
Staying on top of brushing off excess material also reduces the chances of them affecting the performance of the forklift over time.
Tip #3 Use a high pressure cleaner
Depending on exactly where your forklift is operated, you may find using your hands, soap and water won’t work very well. A high pressure water cleaner, using tank water, will do a much better job – and it keeps the person cleaning the machine a safe distance away from it, just in case.
Another important point to consider is whether your forklift comes into contact with any potentially hazardous chemicals, if it does, you need to check whether mixing these chemicals with soap could be dangerous.
Tip #4 Begin at the top of the forklift
To make the cleaning process as efficient as possible, just as you would with a car, start cleaning from the top – let gravity help you get rid of that grime and dirt as it washes off.
Tip #5 Make sure everything is dry before operating
Not every single part or component on a forklift could be waterproof, and if you operate the truck while wet, it could cause damage. Once you’ve finished washing your forklift, be sure to let it sit long enough for everything to dry out completely.
Keeping your forklift clean will help you save time, energy and money in the long run, and cleaning it correctly, will help you ensure performance in your warehouse remains unaffected.
If you’re finding that cleaning your forklift isn’t enough to help improve its performance, and you think it could be time for an upgrade, contact us for a free consultation. We’ll come out to your site and review your set up to understand your needs and the problems you’re facing with your current model mix. We’ll then work with you to provide the best fit-for-purpose solution that suits your budget.
At Linde Material Handling Australia we give you the Power to Choose with a broad range of new, used or rentable material handling equipment. With our Value, Performance and Performance Plus ranges, we can cater for any budget from businesses requiring just one truck all the way up to fully automated robotic warehouses. Get in touch today!
