shopping around for a steam cleaner and wanted to see what all of you are using on your cars. everyone feel like leaving a list of steam machines they are using and if they use them for the inside "and" outside or just inside.

do these steam cleaners really clean heavily soiled carpets as well as they say they do?

post a reply with the name of the steamer you guys favor:

 

do you want a steam cleaner or a carpet extractor?

 

good question,

from the reviews that I have done online on the best options for cleaning interiors and carpets I read that "steamers" are the best way to go because they do not leave the carpet full of water like alot of extractors do.

basically I want the best equipment possible and if that means getting a steamer then that is the direction I would like to go. I also want the machine that is going to be able to remove heavily soiled carpets as well.

 

I'd like to see the answer to this as well.

 

I go the cheap route, but it works.

Here's what you do:

Get a 1 gallon pump garden sprayer with a god fan tip. Fill it with hot water mixed with your cleaning solution of choice. I use Simple Green about 4:1. Cheap and works great. Get a small wet/dry vac.

Park the car on an incline or on ramps. That way everything that gets sprayed accumulates in one spot in the footwells. Sounds goofy but works.

The rest is simple. Spray cleaner on carpet, let sit a minute, scrub with good stiff nylon bristle brush and shop-vac right out.

It works killer and does not get carpet too wet. Nothing that isn't dry in an afternoon in the sun. There's nothing I have not been able to get out with this that would have made an extractor worth the money unless you . I have done dozens of cars this way and never had a customer tell me I did a lousy job inside.

My $.02

 

My parents have a Vaporetto exactly like this.



It is ridiculous how well it works. I can clean the delicate steering wheel of the car and the next minute be scrubbing off dried paint off the living room floor.

It works on carpets but it's no vacuum, so it has its limits if the carpet is full of sand. But stains and whatnot ... gone very quickly.

 

I just purchased a VX5000 steamer for $700, but have not used it on a car yet. I see many that are happy about the VX5000. Google is your friend.

From what I read, a steamer will do carpet cleanup when it has light soil, I have a mytee HP60 for carpet extraction.

 

i think a lot of detailers use the vapor chief something. (180?)

it looks to be one of the more powerful steamers out there

 

thanks for all of the input and feedback everyone!

here is a steam cleaner that I am leaning toward buying and it sounds very very promising:

Desiderio vapor steamer

it looks to be very powerful and has a vacum affect to it as well so it is basicaly a dry steam extractor that acts like a water extractor except the carpet will dry very very quickly and you can use it to clean seats as well.

a little on the pricey side I know but I want the best in my shop setup and dont want to risk using an extractor bcause there is too much moisture that can be left behind in the carpet for molding later on if not done right. with two of these units I can have guys working with me with little to no fear of damage done to the car if I am not watching their every move.

looked up the other models VX5000 and vapor cheif.

with price, size and constant steam running at high psi. I am thinking this is the way to go.

anyone else have input on this?