# steam cleaners



## Auto-Revive (Nov 20, 2009)

hey guys. whats you think bout cleaning exterior of cars with steam cleaners are they any good


----------



## carl123uk (Jun 16, 2008)

can anyone recomend a cheap steam cleaner? i will be using it for the interior mainly.


----------



## Relaited (Jan 27, 2009)

Have never seen anyone effectively utilize steam for exterior washing. It lacks a surfactant, just like you cannot clean with only a pressure washer. 

And, for commercial use, or any time of volume, the units need to be a little bigger. Now you are into unreliable Korean units, that are over engineered and lack parts availability. Many are propane, which carries issues if in enclosed areas and for storage.
And, have you ever heard one of these units. Hello noise pollution!

My question in return is why consider? Please advise what the motivation is.


----------



## podge99 (Apr 16, 2009)

I actually only use steam to clean the exterior of cars. I use the optima model from sjcarwash.com. Sometimes a may use a low concentration of snow foam to help but mainly I use just high pressure steam and good microfibres. Check out my gallery page at carwashexpress.nl


----------



## Gibonlbn (Jan 13, 2010)

Podge how long does it take you to wash a car?


----------



## wedgie (Apr 5, 2008)

i dont know what model gordon (caledoinia) was using at the meet at autobrite, but it made a bloody great job on a set of wheels


----------



## tfonseca (Jul 31, 2008)

I has wondering why swissvax in there manual say to no use steam cleaners on the wheels


----------



## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Also great on wheel arches as well as wheels and interiors.


----------



## Celticking (Oct 23, 2009)

The results on alloys are impressive, wonder how long in comparison to standard methods they would be


----------



## Guest (Feb 7, 2010)

Can the steam remove any laquer on wheels?


----------



## steveyc (Sep 4, 2009)

is it harmful to your paint using it on the exterior?


----------



## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Sandford said:


> Can the steam remove any laquer on wheels?


No - provided there's no existing damage or paint flake it could make worse.



steveyc said:


> is it harmful to your paint using it on the exterior?


I don't think so, just think how hot your car's paint gets on a really hot summers day.

I just don't see it as a worthwhile exercise, for cleaning particularly greasy isolated parts but not a particularly efficient way of doing the whole body!


----------



## steveyc (Sep 4, 2009)

your right, i tested it on a part of my rear bumper and it lifted the tar off very easily!
Might be worth just doing the tarred spots.


----------



## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

To the OP: You have a PM from me (and it's not about steam cleaners).


----------



## podge99 (Apr 16, 2009)

Using hgih pressure steam and good microfibres followed by a quick detailer spray, I can wash a car with only 7 litres of water. It isn't harmful to the paints exterior at all as the temperature decreases rapidly the further away from the nozzle you are. Its also good at disinfecting the interior.....


----------



## Dave18 (Mar 22, 2010)

Has anyone else used steam cleaners for exterior car cleaning? I'm considering a Nimbus 23 for it. Kind of appeals, less water to lug around, less kit needed. Or do most of you still reckon the old way is the best? Has to be said using only 7ltrs of water for a whole car is appealing!


----------



## plentyambition (Jan 8, 2009)

I'm curious about using steam cleaners for the exterior too for a couple of reasons-

1. Less water required, and
2. Presumably less chance of causing swirls etc because you wont touch the car

I think you would have to use a waterless product or detailing spray after it though, since the steam will not contain anything that you would find in a shampoo.

I've heard some good things about the Nimbus range but never actually seen the results and I wonder if the steam would strip some of the existing protection?

Hopefully someone out there has one and can advise!


----------



## Dave18 (Mar 22, 2010)

Hey plentyambition. I've been doing quite a bit of reaearch in to this and i too was considering a Nimbus but i don't think they are powerful eonugh for exterior cleaning. I've found the company Eco-steam which produce a proffessional 7 bar power steam cleaner, model name Diavolo. After talking to the sales people they reckon they're plenty powerful enough and have sold some to other valeters. Twice the price of a Nimbus but more than half the price of the real big, heavy industrial steamers but just as powerful. Detailing spray with quality MF after a must i'd say and yes i think it's a pretty safe way of cleaning, plus you don't need to lug litres and litres of water around with you and makes so much less mess for the customer. Someting to think about.


----------



## plentyambition (Jan 8, 2009)

Cheers for your help. I will post anything useful that I find out myself.


----------



## Dave18 (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks for that, me too.


----------



## Guest (Apr 8, 2010)

Dave18 said:


> Hey plentyambition. I've been doing quite a bit of reaearch in to this and i too was considering a Nimbus but i don't think they are powerful eonugh for exterior cleaning. I've found the company Eco-steam which produce a proffessional 7 bar power steam cleaner, model name Diavolo. After talking to the sales people they reckon they're plenty powerful enough and have sold some to other valeters. Twice the price of a Nimbus but more than half the price of the real big, heavy industrial steamers but just as powerful. Detailing spray with quality MF after a must i'd say and yes i think it's a pretty safe way of cleaning, plus you don't need to lug litres and litres of water around with you and makes so much less mess for the customer. Someting to think about.


Does this remove LSP? Cheers


----------



## Dave18 (Mar 22, 2010)

Dakine, i'm not 100% certain, i'm going to be doing some tests when i decide on which/get my steamer. I don't think it does but there are probably others with more experience in this than me. I have found out for effective exterior cleaning you need at least 10 bar pressure, so we're talking alot of cash here... If i find anything else out i'll post here, sorry couldn't be more help.


----------



## Guest (Apr 10, 2010)

Dave18 said:


> Dakine, i'm not 100% certain, i'm going to be doing some tests when i decide on which/get my steamer. I don't think it does but there are probably others with more experience in this than me. I have found out for effective exterior cleaning you need at least 10 bar pressure, so we're talking alot of cash here... If i find anything else out i'll post here, sorry couldn't be more help.


Thanks, will look into this too.


----------



## Dave18 (Mar 22, 2010)

Dakine, by what i can find out it does not remove LSP.


----------



## plentyambition (Jan 8, 2009)

I've already got a tiny little steam cleaner for doing seats and stuff and have carried out perhaps the least scientific test ever devised, but I think it's pretty safe in terms of LSP.

It's only water, which we know wont hurt it, and once the steam has travelled through the air it isn't very hot. Certainly not as hot as the car surface would get in the sun should it ever appear again.

Some LSP's (Big White Hi-Temp Paste Wax) specifically say they can endure ridiculous temperatures, so I can't think of a reason why steam cleaning would remove LSP.

That said, I don't know how we could be sure......


----------

