Stained upholstery cleaned with steamer. 2 Pictures.

[AppliedColors]

Before:

After:

Process:



1. Vacuum.

2. Mist Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner on entire seat.

3. Spray stain spotter (we used an aerosol product called Lifter, but any stain spotter from your detail supplier will do) on darker stains.

4. Wrap triangular steamer head with clean microfiber, and push the steamer head with medium pressure over the bench, covering the entire bench about 3 times.

Refer to this video for an example of the technique:

YouTube - Vapor Chief Steam machne cleaning carpeting

5. Let air dry.



This was done in February on a 40 degree day. It was 60 degrees in our shop. The bench was dry within 10 minutes...no water stains.



You could certainly get similar results with traditional shampooing (drench with chemicals; scrub into a foam; extract with extractor or wet vac), but you'd risk getting water rings. The steamer vapor is so hot that you simply won't get water rings...which are a particular problem on cold days. The steamer method is also faster, as no brush agitation was required on this bench. This bench was done in about 6 minutes.

 

[todd@bsaw]

Great results!

That's almost my exact same process and it does me well.

 

[imported_Denzil]

That's pretty much how I do my interiors now as it's faster in cleaning and drying. Thanks for sharing!

 

[imported_smprince1]

Looks great.



One question for my education, though. Why do you apply the APC over the entire seat and then apply spot chemical to the tough spots? I usually do the opposite and was wondering about the reason.



Thanks.

 

[imported_Denzil]

Looks great.



One question for my education, though. Why do you apply the APC over the entire seat and then apply spot chemical to the tough spots? I usually do the opposite and was wondering about the reason.



Thanks.

Well, the APC is for general cleaning purposes and will take out pretty much all the light stains whereas the spot chemical is intended for those hard-to-remove stains.

 

[imported_smprince1]

Well, the APC is for general cleaning purposes and will take out pretty much all the light stains whereas the spot chemical is intended for those hard-to-remove stains.

Yes, I understand that part. :nana:



My question was the order the product was applied. I apply the spotter first, then the general cleaner second. I was wondering if there was a reason to do it the other way or if it mattered. :nixweiss

 

[AppliedColors]

Yes, I understand that part. :nana:



My question was the order the product was applied. I apply the spotter first, then the general cleaner second. I was wondering if there was a reason to do it the other way or if it mattered. :nixweiss

Doesn't really matter what order they're applied in.

 

[imported_Denzil]

Doesn't really matter what order they're applied in.

There's your answer. :laugh:

 

[Woob]

Great example just how darn good a steamer can cut down time, chemical, and effort.

 

[imported_advs1]

hello all. i was wondering what steamer you used for that? brand, model, web link? thanks and that seat looks awesome

 

[Legacy]

Nice job, now you need to apply some 303 fabric protector to keep it looking good.

 

[jayjacque]

Wish this thread was around a couple weeks ago when I was trying to get an answer about water stains on seats. The people that answered were saying use and extractor rather than steamer. But those results are irrefutable

 

[Mark77]

Only problem I see with not extracting is that you will leave some APC and stain remover in the seat. I have an extractor with a built in steamer function and use the steam with extraction for the final passes.

 

[757motoring]

Mark77 what extractor are you using?So my question is both a extracter and steamer will get the same results the steamer will do it faster but the extracter will pull all the chemicals out.

 

[2k2blackWRX]

757, at our shop we use a hot water extractor, specifically the thermax therminator. Our old extractor did not have nearly as much lift as this one and left many cars very damp. This one works much much better and within 30 minutes the seats are dry and usually about 1 hr for the carpet depending on how stained it was and how many passes I had to make.



On lightly stained cars I don't need to scrub at all, I just use the extractor.

I can do a whole car with leather seats in about 15 minutes, cloth seats about 30 minutes and up from there.

Thermax DV12

The Therminator DV12 is Thermax’s newest industrial steam cleaner, which aggressively removes dirt, grime, odors and other embedded pollutants with unmatched efficiency.



Powerful dual two-stage vacuum motors (165� water lift) for faster cleaning, increased recovery speed and quicker drying time.

Built-in 1800-watt solution pre-heating system for quick, uniform temperature control (up to 175°).

11-Gallon hygienic stainless steel solution tank.

12-Gallon large capacity recovery tank with automatic overflow protection shut-off and waste gate empty system.

Single 25' power cord for one circuit operation.

High-impact, chemical resistant housing with conditional lifetime warranty - virtually indestructible.

100 psi high-efficiency demand solution pump (65-psi pump option available for auto detailing).

Engineered for mobility and stability, tip resistant operation.

Built-in dolly handle for greater control and maneuverability.

Large 8� rear wheels make it easy to go up and down stairs.

Marine sealed switches.

 

[AppliedColors]

Only problem I see with not extracting is that you will leave some APC and stain remover in the seat. I have an extractor with a built in steamer function and use the steam with extraction for the final passes.

Are you using the Desiderio steamer/extractor?



If you replace the microfiber you use to wrap around the triangular attachment frequently, you're transferring the APC and stain remover into the microfiber, then laundering it.

 

[imported_Denzil]

I've been thinking of picking up the Desiderio since it has the steamer and extractor features but the downside is that if it breaks down, I'm out of a steamer AND an extractor.

 

[Woob]

I've been thinking of picking up the Desiderio since it has the steamer and extractor features but the downside is that if it breaks down, I'm out of a steamer AND an extractor.

Skip the Desiderio, go for a nice Extractor like the Durrmaid Mini and a nice steamer like the Vapor Master 3000. Big initial investment but they are truly workhouses that get the job done.

 

[Mark77]

The extractor I have is called CWN Home Cleaner, it's a multifunction unit. It is a dry vac, wet vac, steamer and/or extractor with water or steam in the same unit.

 

[AppliedColors]

hello all. i was wondering what steamer you used for that? brand, model, web link? thanks and that seat looks awesome

We used a Desiderio.



It's an average steamer and below average extractor, but I like the convenience of having both in one unit.



You could get these results with almost any commercial grade steamer you pay $500+ for.