STEAM VAPOR CLEANING - Carwashing and Detailing Pros & Cons

[smokun]

Steam vapor cleaning is being used for minimal water exterior washing... as well as many interior cleaning tasks done by detailers.

I'd appreciate some feedback from operators and detailers with hands-on exposure who have found steam to be a valuable resource for additional profit generation.

Hopefully this post won't open the floodgates for sales presentations by vendors, but rather firsthand insights that provide the "do's and don'ts"... as well as the risks involved in exterior and interior cleaning.

Save the marketing hype for another venue... and instead offer genuine truths about the not-so-new cleaning aid.

Thanks in advance...

-Steve

 

[Washmee]

I stopped using steam vapor cleaning in my detail shop years ago. It was more trouble than it was worth. The extra heat from the steam made my detailers uncomfortable and it caused more than one damage claim. It has some useful applications, but overall not worth the trade offs in other areas.

 

[Jim L.]

In the 70’s & 80’s my town had a full service tunnel that used steam as a prep on the cars. One worker on each side of the car hit the bugs in the front as well as the rocker panels at the beginning of the conveyor. Later the owner built a new location and replaced the steam with a chemical spray. The steam did a much better job and I don’t know why he changed…my guess it was cost.

 

[soapy]

We use steam vapor in our detail shop for interior cleaning. We use it in conjuction with extractors etc. Vapor steam works great for cleaning vents, hard plastics, certain stains on seats and carpets and head liners.

 

[mjwalsh]

We use steam vapor in our detail shop for interior cleaning. We use it in conjuction with extractors etc. Vapor steam works great for cleaning vents, hard plastics, certain stains on seats and carpets and head liners.

Soapy,

I notice you mentioned hard plastics.

For the heck of it we used a small $100 steamer we saw advertised on a TV infomercial for our FRP self serve bay walls. It might have be the quality of the steamer but we gave up because of its lack of speed & effectiveness. Any thoughts?

MJ

 

[soapy]

I tried one of the cheap steamers at first. They are slow and would not keep up. I got a good industrial steamer and it made all the difference. It can supply a constant supply of steam at a higher temperature and pressure. The cost $1000 but was worth it.

 

[mjwalsh]

I tried one of the cheap steamers at first. They are slow and would not keep up. I got a good industrial steamer and it made all the difference. It can supply a constant supply of steam at a higher temperature and pressure. The cost $1000 but was worth it.

Soapy,

Do you think that better steamer could be a better approach on cleaning FRP walls than the more the hydroflouric NuWall etc.

MJ

 

[soapy]

I don't think the steamer would be a better approach for cleaning the walls compared acids. After reading about how many germs reside in a car interior thought the steamer is perfect. A good blast of 285 degree steam kills germs instantly. Steering wheels are 9 times more germy than a public toilet seat according to a recent study.

 

[buda]

I think some of you are getting the old "steam cleaners" mixed up with the modern vapor steamers used today to clean vinyl, leather, ac vents, wheels, glass and in residential applications tile floors; bathroom fixtures; cabinets. etc.

The old steam cleaners were used to clean engines; wheels and tires and would be perfect to clean dirty walls of car washes.

However, the old steam cleaner has been displaced by the heated pressure washers. Which use less heat and more pressure to achieve the cleaning.

Don't mix apples and oranges. I believe that Steve was asking about vapor steamers.

Regards
Bud Abraham