Just as in any other business, mobile grooming is a year-round occupation. Thanks to the foresight of vehicle manufacturers, the modern grooming mobile is equipped to handle every kind of weather, from heat and humidity to rain and snow.
Let me speak quite sincerely, and tell you straight-up that if you take care of your mobile grooming vehicle, it will take care of you. Not only will you be able to earn a decent living wage, but you can be quite comfortable in the process. One way to ensure that you have a truck that you can rely on, is to be conscientious about regularly scheduled maintenance.
Nightly Maintenance
After a day of grooming, there are several chores which will need to be handled each night. We generally handled these immediately after returning home in the evening. By making these a habit, you find that it will take you only a very few minutes to complete.
1. Customers will generally frown upon you dumping left-over “gray” water in their driveways, especially in the winter, where it can cause a problem with ice. Gray water tanks need to be emptied each night in a safe environment. *We had an extra-inlet added to our laundry gray water tank which was in the ground at the back of our driveway.
2. Clean water tanks will need to be refilled. We had a plumber install an “all-season” outside water spigot that handled a regular garden-hose and we used it to handle this chore each night.
3. Clipper-vacs and garbage cans will need to be emptied of hair and trash.
4. Wet towels will need to be removed to be laundered. We handled our own laundry. Our washer and dryer were located in a breezeway at the back of the house. We generally kept enough clean, dry towels on hand for up to 3 days of grooming, should we run out of time to do laundry on any given night.
5. General cleaning and sweeping throughout will prepare the truck for the next day’s schedule. We also used the evenings to refill shampoo and conditioner bottles and to restock any other necessities for the next day’s work schedule.
Scheduled Maintenance
Your mobile grooming vehicle may seem like, “Bessy” to you, but you have to keep in mind that it is in actuality a number of mechanical systems that need to be checked and maintained on a regular basis.
- Your truck is considered a commercial vehicle and it will be subject to regular inspections and the regulations of your state. These vary by state and you are responsible to know which ones apply to you in your state.
2. Beside state inspections, your truck will also need regular mechanical maintenance from changing oil and tires, to repairs under the hood. We worked a deal with our local garage where they kept the truck for a week in the Spring and for a week in the Fall, while we took a little vacation time. It gave the garage a chance to go over all things mechanical, without the rush that comes when you have client’s waiting for service.
3. If you have an electrical generator onboard, it will have to be scheduled to have its belts inspected and to have it’s oil changed every so many hours of operation. Make sure you keep the generator operator’s manual in your truck as you may have to refer to it on occasions.
4. There are a number of other systems onboard which may need repair or upgrading, from the Air Conditioning and Heating units on the roofs, to our tub plumbing and hot water tanks. For these, our generator maintenance and state inspection, we made friends at our local RV dealership, even grooming the owner’s dogs.
Summer Is The Easiest Season
Summer is the easiest season as concerns over the water tanks are minimal compared to the winter. Water vapor generally can be vented through roof vents or side window vents. And on the high heat days, most units are equipped with a rooftop air-conditioning unit. The most difficult part of summer is that animal hair generally takes to the air like a thousand helium balloons. It is best to wear a mask at all times, and to avoid breathing in any flying particles.
Fall is The Prettiest Season
Fall is probably the prettiest season. The days are generally cooler and the trees are turning colors and/or loosing their leaves. You may find days where you can actually leave open your vehicle door, and the rush of cooler air will sweep away any flying hair. Toward the end of the fall, especially if you live in the north, you will want to make sure you’ve had your heating unit checked and ready to go. There are certain to be one or two day that will be brisk, and give you a hint that winter’s not far off.
Winter is the Coolest Season
Winter requires a fair amount of vigilance on the part of the groomer. If your unit is parked outside at night rather than in a garage, you will have to remove any accumulated snow. *This generally requires a ladder and a brush with a long handle extension. A stand-alone ceramic heater should be set up in the back facing the water tanks to prevent them from freezing. Some units come with ready-made tank warmers which simply need to be plugged in at night. Windshield wiper blades should be pulled away from the window to prevent them from sticking to the windows in the morning and tearing the blades. Morning in winter are generally much busier than in any other season, and you will want to plan for and to give yourself extra time to get started and to travel to your jobs.
Spring is The Muddiest Season
Spring is generally a mixed bag of “okay” and “could be better.” Many animals will be fidgety as Spring is the time when many animals will be in “heat.” There is a rambunctiousness in all animals in the Spring that is hard to describe. Bring treats. Bring extra towels, for in addition to the nightly maintenance, Spring brings with it mud and rain and tics. And you may find your animal wards love to roll and waddle in the stuff. The flooring in most vehicles is made of a durable, slip-resistant vinyl, but it is not dirt and mud resistant. You may need extra cleaner and mop heads to clean the mess.
