It`s 2018 - Whos Steaming

M

mobiledynamics

New member
Out of all the tools we employ to wash our cars....and I`m sure we have many we use and some we don`t

The extractor get`s the most auto for carpets.

Our high end Dupray Hill Injection saw car cleaning usage a couple times, but to be frank, it wasn`t my cup of tea for car cleaning. I can see how cleaning the cupholders and door jambs, but that`s really where the buck stops for me. I actually use it ALOT more @home. Wood Floors, Amazeballs. Tile grout (we have epoxy grout), but regardless, it`s amazing for this sort of thing - kinda like a hot *pencil pressure washer*, ya know. The only slight drawback when using the injection is the recovery time, but that is the nature of the beast.

Would i buy a 2K steamer ever again. Ehhh, probably not.
I really don`t use it as often as I should....
 
Steam is also terrific for engine compartment cleaning -- works great on greasy bits and doesn`t get water everywhere, which helps avoid potential electrical problems.

I`ve used steam from my VX5000 on carpet mats to dissolve chewing gum and tar stains, but for general carpet mat cleaning a inexpensive Bissel Little Green Machine extractor works better.
 
The little nooks and crannies like where the plastics bits are on the air filter covers, etc - I`ve often considered steaming them and then doing injection.

Never had to deal with gum, but hmmmm, tar stains / steam. Never was on my radar.
On carpet, I`ll use a citrus based cleaner for tar.
If on paint/plastic (ww), I just use solvents.
Does steam just soften it or can you get it complete clean with tar and steam
 
I usually use steam for interior cleaning, door jambs, engines, trunk etc.
I have never really used it on the exterior to this point.
 
The steam from the VX5000 completely dissolved the gum and tar. The gum was worse than the tar, it was ground into the fibers of the carpet and trying to pry it out seemed to want to take the fibers with them and probably would have left a bald spot -- maybe not completely bald, but something that would have stood out. I used a single-point nozzle and got up close to the contamination after cautiously confirming that the steam wouldn`t melt the synthetic carpet fibers.
 
I tell my Clients that when I am finished, there will be NO DIRT to be found anywhere inside and outside the vehicle, so I use both my Vapor Systems VX5000 and my Mytee HP60 Spyder Extractor to first steam the (sprayed with Meguiars APC+) area that was also brushed in carefully, and then right after, while its still hot, use the hot water in my extractor to rinse and extract all the crapola way down in the bottom of all carpeting - in the car (and also in the house carpeting)..

Yes, this may take a little longer and I have to use a long thin stainless steel extractor tool for that tight area between the seats and the console and under the seats if they`re not removed, and that always dirty area on the sill plates area and against the sill plates, etc, but when its all done, I have perfectly clean, dry, no dirt anywhere interiors, trunks, seats, etc...

So I put all their little "Trees" into a big ULine slide lock bag along with all the other things I found in my process, and the interiors and trunks especially just smell Clean now.. Never have wicking, etc., because I am brushing in the cleaner, then steaming it all hot and loose and then injecting hot water to rinse and extract it all up.

And I also do especially the front seat belts the same way, and its amazing how much dark stuff comes out of them(especially the Driver`s) onto the white towel in the rinse stage...

The Recovery tank in the Mytee always, always, dumps out a huge amount of brown to black rinse water from each vehicle...

I also prefer Steam to really clean and rinse front door hinge jambs. I just open the door fully, remove as much big stuff, leaves, etc., as I can reach, rinse it carefully to get more stuff loose and out, then spray it with the APC+ brush with a long brush if possible as much as can be reached, let it dwell for a bit and then steam it all out with the single nozzle VX5000 tool.
Works like a charm ! Clean door hinges, jambs, now ready to be carefully wiped, make sure the grease on the rollers is not removed, and re-grease if needed, and spray a nice QD in there that dries nice and shiny like the paint is now..
Dan F
 
Dan -

I use a Upholstery Nozzle for the interiors. Its a godsend on how much drier it is than traditional nozzles.
Under the carpet, the sound deading is foam too....water can soak and take forever to dry. I try to minimize how much water I inject when I`m cleaning the interior
 
Mobiledynamics --

I also use 3 different angle stainless upholstery tools for the carpeting, for the different depths and angles in those floors too..

Yes, totally agree there is a lot of foam in Interiors, seats having the most...

Once I had to take apart a BMW Z3 Convertible that had been left out in the rain at a body shop for a weekend in Seattle ..... never, ever, ever, do that in Seattle... :(

After sucking out all the water from the floorboards and removing the seats, spent a couple days just extracting with the most efficient upholstery nozzle I had, the huge amount of water that the seat foam had absorbed AND was not going to give up EASILY ... :)

The marathon hours that HP60 Mytee Extractor ran totally made me a fan; those 3 motors are still humming today, never even fazed them.. :)

Totally agree, I also really mind how much rinse water i put into the Rinse stage and always spend a lot more, a lot more time in the Extract stage..
And because the Pacific Northwest is always damp, or snowing, with only a few weeks of actual sunshine sometimes, I have lots of those little carpet drying fans that go into the interior after all the work to blow air on all the floors, etc.., to insure, its all dry...

Yes, never, wet vehicle carpeting too much or you will be sorry.. :) Same with house carpeting... If those carpet guys would spend more time extracting their carpet cleaning jobs, it would always be nicer for the Client.. But sadly, they mostly never do...
Dan F
 
Sadly this is high level talk.
Most consumers/prosumers will just keep on injecting - thinking flushing/rinsing is good without realizing how much foam and how much water retention happens.
 
mobiledynamics said:
Sadly this is high level talk.
Most consumers/prosumers will just keep on injecting - thinking flushing/rinsing is good without realizing how much foam and how much water retention happens.
Click to expand...

Well, most people here that have been here for years (some of us about 15 years) are at higher levels already.. :)

And unless they are Detailing for Dollars :), the are setting their expectations accordingly and are very happy with their results...

Once I found a good low-foaming cleaner, I then had at least part of the equation solved, the rest had to do with using common sense, and really watching out for what could be removed with just steam alone, and extraction... But I always use both, it just works more efficiently for my needs..

I went to the expense and trouble to get extraction tools that have the jet inside the tool rather than on the bottom outside, to minimize how much water hit only the target area and thus helping keep the total amount of water on the carpet better controlled..

Oftentimes, I like to carefully and lightly, steam leather seats through a white towel, (VX5000 with the big triangular brush, a white towel doubled over the bristles and tied tightly on the top) to help loosen up years of ground in body oils and dirt, and am always amazed at how much stuff comes out really quickly that way...

Then, following up with a neutral scented leather conditioner recommended and used by a big company that imports and tans leather hides for upholstery, (Spinneybeck, Getzville, NY) and I never have had an issue one...

It is always amazing to me that when leather is really cleaned (coated leather as in most automobiles), it is no longer really hard and actually smells pretty good without anything else..
Dan F
 
I`m still using the Daimer 1500C, still not injecting any chemicals just using water. Use it all the time during the winter to keep the pedals clean, but hardly *EVER* use it for anything detailing-related otherwise. OK, new-to-me vehicles get it for some stuff, but generally it just sits unused except for household stuff.

QUOTE=Stokdgs;2127463]..[regarding].. house carpeting... If those carpet guys would spend more time extracting their carpet cleaning jobs, it would always be nicer for the Client..[/QUOTE]

That was the big reason why I switched to just DIYing it. Another case of getting tired of telling a "Pro" (scare-quotes intentional) how to do his job.

Ditto for the Orientals, the local specialty shop`s "special equipment and chemicals" turned out to be *exactly* what I have (sneaked back into their workshop to see for myself..).
 
Via Accumulator -- "" I`m still using the Daimer 1500C, still not injecting any chemicals just using water. ""

Yes !! Since I started using my Mytee HP60, I have never used chemical injection, just plain water..

I also prefer using my VX5000 to inject pure distilled steam into areas that may or may not have already been pre-sprayed with a low foaming cleaner that rinses and extracts out very easy..

And I believe that because of that alone, both my expensive machines` motors and steamer have lived longer lives and are still going strong today..
Dan F
 
mobiledynamics said:
Dan -

If this was not on your radar, I`m putting it on your radar

https://www.legendbrandscleaning.com/Products/Upholstery-Pro

Amazing to mitigate moisture issues that is being discussed.
It`s my defacto nozzle for most parts of the interior, just short of the crevice when needed.


Silly comparison, but I would say this nozzle is $500 well spent as I do get my moneys worth.
Eh, I don`t know if I would say the say about the steamer
Click to expand...

Mobiledynamics --
Thanks, I saw this Sapphire tool when it first came out - what has it been a couple years or more now ?

Like the technology, great engineering; what I don`t care for is that it`s plastic, and plastic tends to want to crack sometime..

Yes, perhaps they have made it of some super-strong derivative, etc., and it may never crack, but it`s still too new to know the durability for my business plan..

Part of my business plan is to always have back up for everything, so I am never standing there saying - "oh no, now what do I do?" :)

Need to get back to the floor and carpet cleaning forums, and perhaps talk to some sellers of this and get their take on this attachment sometime..
Dan F
 
Dan -

Have you seen or used one though. It really is the bees kneez regardless of material construction....

I don`t use it in a pro. setting so the usage profile is different. I will easily say it`s worth the price though, and that I can say without reservement !

Right under the suction head, there is a inline row of about 10 holes or so. This is where the liquid comes out. But it also quickly recirculates back into the head. If you flip it underneath, you can literally watch a row of 10 liquids doing a u turn back into the head. When it`s running, you can adjust how how much flow is coming out, so the volume of liquid is adjustable. I actually do more cleaning passes that I should, but I CAN since the recovery of liquid is much greater on each pass and I`m not injecting and then extracting per se
 
I guess I differ here with the steamer. I use it for the entire interior. I have a Diamer 1000cvp and it’s my must have tool. How does the injection work with the Dupray you have? I have no issues with recovery time as the injection comes from a dedicated tank and is injected into the stream, not thru the boiler. So it has no effect on the output from the boiler. That being said, I fill the injection tank with APC and steam clean every surface of the interior, injecting APC as needed. A also use a soft Detail brush to agitate areas when needed then wipe with a clean microfiber. Makes super quick work of interior surfaces. I literally don’t think I could work without a steamer with detergent injection.

I do also use it for carpets and upholstery. I pre spray with my cleaner of choice, swell for 5-10 minutes, scrub with the steamer and brush attachments, then extract with my Mytee HP60.
 
Injection on the Dupray comes with a dedicated tank, but in my application, I`m not really using chems.
Injection for me is me just using pure hot water that is being forced out of the gun at High Pressure. It`s more for my application a pencil profile hot water pressure washer.

Interesting read on how ya`ll use the steamer/Mytee on carpet. In my world, that upholstery wand is my go to - but I guess similar approach and that you are using the steamer to minimize how much liquid you are using on the fibers

BTW, Dupray want`s tap water in their machines. Not distilled. I suppose their philisophy is that at higher temps it`s corrosive ?
 
I originally used the injection the same way, just a blast of hot water, however eventually tried throwing some APC in it instead and haven’t gone back. It’s incredibly effective being able to hit surfaces with super heated APC instead of just water. When you would normally need to allow some dwell time to let your APC work, having it heated makes it work almost instantly. Took me almost a year to discover this but it COMPLETELY changed how I did interiors.

As for the carpet and upholstery, scrubbing with the steamer is just a way to help break up the stains/dirt using the heat from the steam, then simply extracting the loosened dirt. My extractor is only ever filled with clean water and is used strictly to pickup the dirt and rinse any chemicals out. I don’t really ask it to do anything more. I let the cleaner and steamer do all the hard work
 
I can’t say enough how much the detergent injection has helped my process. Everything is at my fingertips. I can blow out cracks/crevices, steam by itself cleans really well, push of a button I can hit nasty stuff with cleaner (no fumbling with a spray bottle), use a Detail brush as needed then wipe with a microfiber as I allow the steam to help “rinse” the surface. It was truly a game changer for me
 
I try to minimize scrubbing as I`ve very sensative to micro textural changes - if this is a word ?
I let the chems do the work
Don`t get me started on textural changes......you would laugh on my process flow when I clean the steering wheel ;-)

jondon.com - chems are my best friend for carpets/upholstery. And some of this stuff is INSANELY economical. 1:32
dilution


While I may not use my steamer much in the autoworld, I see for the trade@ hand Shane, how the heat, the shot of APC, etc may be required in your craft. I get it now. Eh, I mainly user water as my interior product. Cockpit for upfront but that`s just because it leaves a light scent and a very smigen amount of pop to the finish surface. The most is maybe some 10:1 for the door scuffs and all.
 
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