The complete car dealership cleaning checklist

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At your car dealership, clutter and dirt likely build up quickly. So much so that you often forget vital steps of your cleaning process. You may overlook a worktop, miss fingerprints on showroom glass, or forget to disinfect high-touch surfaces in customer waiting areas.

Over time, these small mistakes can impact the appearance of your business. Customers may get the impression that you don’t properly look after your dealership.

To avoid this, follow this car dealership cleaning checklist.

Hire a professional cleaning team

Hiring a professional cleaning team can remove a lot of the stress associated with keeping your dealership clean.

Professional cleaning companies offer dealership cleaning services that can keep your service bays, office spaces, and showrooms in top shape. These companies use specialized equipment designed to thoroughly clean high-traffic spaces.

On top of pressure washing services, dealership cleaning teams can also provide carpet care and disinfectant cleaning. They often work outside of business hours, meaning they will not cause any disruptions.

Cleaning supplies checklist

If, instead of hiring a cleaning team, you opt to do the cleaning yourself, you’ll need proper cleaning supplies.

Make sure you have the following:

• Glass cleaner
• Floor cleaner
• Carpet cleaner
• Vacuum cleaner
• Multi-surface disinfectant
• Degreaser
• Microfiber cloths
• Mop and bucket
• Dust mop
• Trash bags
• Disposable gloves
• Air fresheners
• Scrub brushes
• Floor signs

Car Dealership Daily Cleaning Tasks

To ensure your dealership remains clean and presentable at all times, you need to deep-clean each customer-facing room on the premises.

Here’s a checklist of all the areas you must cover.

• Showroom

The showroom is the centerpiece of your dealership. If this isn’t clean, the quality of the cars presented in the showroom will appear lower to your customers.

• Dust all display stands, desks, and furniture.
• Mop tiled surfaces.
• Clean hard flooring.
• Vacuum carpets.
• Empty trash cans.
• Sanitize high-touch surfaces.

• Vehicles

On top of cleaning the surrounding areas, you also need to keep your cars clean and ready for customer viewings. Professional cleaning teams are unlikely to offer vehicle cleaning services. So, you or a member of your team will have to perform this task. Ideally, vehicles should be checked daily and cleaned as necessary.

• Dust vehicle exteriors.
• Clean windows, mirrors, and glass doors.
• Clean windows inside and out.
• Vacuum vehicle interiors.
• Wipe dashboards, seats, and steering wheels.

• Reception area

First impressions count. When a customer arrives, they’ll likely have to spend some time in the reception area. The cleanliness of this area can directly impact the likelihood of them purchasing a vehicle.

• Clean the reception desk.
• Sanitize phones and payment terminals.
• Dust decorative items.
• Vacuum entrance mats.
• Polish glass entry doors.
• Organize promotional materials and brochures logically.

• Waiting area

You can encourage a positive customer experience by keeping the waiting area neat and organized.

• Keep reading material up-to-date. Throw out magazines that are torn or in bad condition.
• Clean and vacuum the upholstery.
• Wipe coffee and side tables.
• Sanitize chairs and armrests.
• Keep refreshments and water coolers topped up.
• Clean vending machines.
• Clean coffee machines and beverage stations.
• Empty bins.
• Dust televisions and display screens.

• Restroom

All public restrooms should be disinfected at least once per day. If you run a particularly busy car dealership, you should clean your toilets more regularly. Ideally, restrooms should be checked once every 1-2 hours for cleanliness.

• Clean and disinfect toilets and urinals.
• Sanitize countertops and sinks.
• Mop floors with disinfectant.
• Refill soap dispensers.
• Replace paper towels.
• Replace toilet paper.
• Make sure hand dryers are working.
• Empty sanitary bins.
• Clean door handles and light switches.
• Replace air fresheners.

• Sales offices

To maintain professionalism, sales offices must remain clean and tidy. This not only protects brand trust but also influences buyer confidence and enhances sales psychology.

• Dust desks and shelves
• Wipe computer monitors and keyboards.
• Sanitize telephones.
• Vacuum carpets.
• Empty trash bins.
• Clean windows.
• Keep paperwork organized.
• Remove desk clutter.

• Service department

Customers frequently enter the service department for scheduled maintenance and vehicle repair purposes. This area can quickly accumulate grease, oil, and dirt.

• Sweep floors.
• Remove oil spills immediately.
• Empty waste containers.
• Clean customer service counters.
• Wipe equipment surfaces.
• Sanitize waiting areas.
• Remove hazards from walkways.
• Clean garage doors and windows.