Hey:wavey
Once again I thank all for their kind words and also the amount of interest in my process.
I'll try and explain as best as possible. This will be on Top Of The Lines website for a "How To" article on interior cleaning where I wil cover alot of what I did here but with a bit more depth.
The steamer I use is a high quality professional model and it is pricey....in the $700 range:shocked it is though well worth it because I am always finding new ways to use it and new ways to get superior results with less time involved.
Some of the low priced-low quality steamers do not deliver a consistent amount of steam but rather a mixture of some steam and some dripping water. This is one tool where a lower price usually means lower quality. The steamer I use delivers true steam, at both low and high pressures and it also has an "extra hot" switch that delivers steam close to 200 degrees. Also look for a unit that has a on/off swith at the nozzle end where you hold it. This makes for a much easier and smoother working experience. You should get several attachments. Mine included two extensions for doing floors and such, one large retangular steamer brush and also one triangle shaped steam brush.
These two brushes allow steam to pass thru the bristles and both brushes also have clips on top where you can attach a towel. Great for cleaning tile floors, shower tiles and especially great for carpets and headliners. Cleaning headliners can be tricky on earlier models because getting them too wet and the headliners will sag because of the glue being loosened.
Here is my steamer with the triangle brush and a MF towel attacked to the clips. This serves two purposes. The hot steam emulsifys the grime, it gets transferred to the MF and the MF also prevents the headliner from becoming too wet, in fact it is pretty much dry to the touch when done.
This is great for smokers as all the smoke odors go up into the fabric of the headliner.
With the towel attached I can also clean seats, carpets and the dashboard.
When cleaning seats I usually clean the seat my normal way then with the seat still wet from the cleaning I'll go over it with my steamer and the triangle attachment and a MF towel. This cleans and soaks up al the dirt plus it opens the pores in the leather and makes it very soft and pliable, ready to condition.
Remember those nasty vents? Well here is a ppicture of me cleaning that area with my steamer and the small nozzle atachment. I am using it here on high pressure to force the gunk from the seams. As a bonus I am also sanitizing these areas.
My wife used it to clean the grime off the plates of the Lexus,
She didn't use any cleaners prior to the steamer so you can all see just how well it can clean. I also used it in the interior to clean the gas and brake pedal, foot rest also.
It also comes with a glass cleaning attachment that has both a brush and squeegee on the end. I don't use that often but I have used it on our glass room windows and it works well and quickly as soon as you get the nag of using it.
Well I hope this answer many questions but if not please feel free to continue asking. Thank You,
Anthony
Great work as always.