Cleaning your SxS/UTV after a day of Trail Riding

Post-ride side-by-side UTV cleaning isn’t just about making sure your vehicle is looking its best, it’s about protecting your investment. Leaving mud, dirt, sand, or dust on your side-by-side (SxS) can damage it, from unsightly stains to serious rust and engine contamination. It takes only a little time and effort to spruce up your SxS/UTV on the heels of a day on the trails, and your promptness and diligence will be rewarded with a better looking, longer-lasting machine.

Cleaning your side-by-side UTV doesn’t require a whole arsenal of tools and supplies. You can wash adequately with a detergent or soap (either store-bought or mixed yourself), a plastic scraper, and clean cloths, towels, and/or a washing mitt. For water, you can use either a garden horse or a pressure washer.
Other items that can come in handy include any number of specialized cleaning solutions; an air compressor or leaf blower for drying, and waxes, polishes, and sprays for post-cleaning treatment.

It’s nice when the yard-maintenance tools you’ve already got in the garage can serve another purpose. A leaf blower can make drying your cleaned-off Side-by-Side (SxS) a breeze. Drying your vehicle helps avoid water spots or even rust from occurring on your vehicle.

You can certainly use a garden hose with a spray attachment to wash and rinse your off-road vehicle (ORV), but a pressure washer makes the job even easier. You’ll want to be mindful of the settings when power washing your UTV, as you can blast away decals and graphics if you’re not careful. You can use either an electric or gas-powered pressure washer; the latter will usually be the more powerful option.
A pressure washer is useful at more than one stage of the SxS cleaning process. It’s a good first step for dislodging mud and dirt clods, and to wet more caked-on dirt so it’s more easily scraped or scrubbed off. Spray down the side-by-side, let things soak for a few minutes to soften up hardened dirt, and repeat as necessary.
After you’ve lathered up your ride, you can use the pressure washer to rinse off the suds.

There are a lot of options for soap or detergent for UTV cleaning, including specially formulated cleansers for ORVs such as bike wash. The soap/detergent you use should be tough enough to tackle the grime and mud that comes with off-roading, but not corrosive enough to damage your machine’s body or mechanics. Mild washers are the name of the game. A degreaser may also be used in conjunction with the gentle cleanser, though not on plastic parts.
Some components of your SxS require their own kind of wash. If your vehicle has a polycarbonate windshield, don’t use a regular window cleaner, which can damage it. Instead, opt for hand soap, liquid dish soap, or some other analogously easy cleanser. Fabric cleaner, meanwhile, can freshen up your UTV’s seatbelts.

Let’s talk about the best manual tools for cleaning SxSs. A plastic scraper helps you take on those mud clumps with gusto. Use a microfiber cloth/shammy and/or a washing mitt for washing and scrubbing without damaging the UTV body. Use a soft cloth or towel for drying; a sponge can be handy for blotting a polycarbonate windshield.
Speaking of those windshields, remember to lather with your cloth using a gentle side-to-side pattern, not a circular one.