# Steam cleaning wheels and arches



## Bigpikle

Spent some time today with the wheel off the Saab as I wanted to paint the hub and calipers. While I was at it I took the opportunity to try steam cleaning the wheel and arch, to see how it did...

I decided last year that i wanted to eliminate as many chemicals as possible from my detailing routine, and after Gordon/Caledonia kindly took the plunge and bought his steamer to test for us all lol I grabbed a similar model the other week. A few test sessions went well but now was the real test - could I completely clean a dirty wheel with NO chemicals, especially tar removal etc?

*1. Steam Cleaning Wheels
*
These wheels have never been off the car in almost 2 years and about 23k of miles, but being quite an open design they are pretty easy to clean completely and protect. These wheels had a full detail at the start of winter, with a couple of layers of FK1000 for protection, and have been cleaned reasonably frequently since with shampoo, ONR etc. They are not horrendous but wearing a winter of grime, tar and general muck...

*Before*



















*During*

The steamer produces a pressurised stream of steam that lifts and emulsifies the dirt, making it simply wipe off with a MF. I worked about 25% of the wheel at a time, running the nozzle around the area for about 10 seconds and immediately wiping off the emulsified dirt with a cloth :thumb:

50/50



















*After*

the final result was superb :thumb: Very clean wheel, with only the worst tar spots, old glue residue and a few bonded contaminants left. The steam removed minor tar spots and with a bit of elbow grease some pretty bad marks. Only the glue from an old wheel weight needed any extra attention (visible in the shots below at the top of the wheel), so a dab of Tardis and a flexible scraper was needed on that 1 spot only. The rest of the rim was clayed with BH clay to remove the bonded bits and it left a super clean finish 

As you can see in the pics, there was ZERO run-off from the entire process, with no water or grime hitting the floor. This could easily be done in a garage or anywhere else where there isnt the luxury of safe chemical disposal. It didnt use any chemical, there was no need for agitation or soaking, and no rinsing needed 



















It left a perfect finish for a layer of Prime Strong and 3 x FK1000 for max protection :thumb:



















*2. Steam Cleaning Arches*

I also decided to clean the arches while i was at it. I wasnt going to initially, as i had painted both the hub and caliper a little earlier and neiter were 100% dry yet, but decided with the lack of run-off and no rinsing needed it would probably work....I hoped.

The arches are NOT regularly cleaned on this car, as I hate doing it, and since switching exclusively to ONR, they havent even had the usual regular blast out with a PW. Considering all that they werent in a terrible state, but far from clean 

*Before*




























*During*

Same technique as the wheels, with small sections steamed and wiped with an old MF..










I actually went over most of it a 2nd time, as it needed a little extra to get them really clean and I missed a few bits the first time due to the cloud of steam developed under the arch itself. The entire thing took probably 3-4 mins maximum though and only needed 1 cloth.

*After*



















They then had a wipe over with AG Bumper care, as it was all I had available at the time, and the final finish looked like this...










I have to admit to being surprised whata difference it made, and how fast and easily it worked. I hate cleaning arches, but this was superb for 3 reasons:

1. NO spray and splash all over me while i did it 

2. Very fast, easy and effective

3. Only a few drips hit the ground and the cloth covering the freshly painted caliper underneath, and with a little more care those could easily have been avoided :thumb:










*My Conclusion*

Steam is very effective as well as speedy and clean. I used perhaps 300ml of water for this wheel and arch, needed no chemical except for some tough old wheel glue removal (and next time I have a better way to attempt that) and there was no run-off or rinsing etc needed. This was my first attempt, so it should get even quicker, but i reckon you could do 2 wheels with 1 MF, and I could clean 2 arches in this condition with 1 MF, which includes drying. Not bad considering I use that pretty much to dry after a wet wash anyway :thumb:

Look forward to seeing how anyone else gets on with steam and wheels :wave:


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## MidlandsCarCare

Thanks for sharing - very interesting results.

Which steamer do you have?


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## Bigpikle

RussZS said:


> Thanks for sharing - very interesting results.
> 
> Which steamer do you have?


just a cheapo Vax V-081 - got a graded one from eBay for £35

Has a range of attachments including a carpet head etc - seems pretty good TBH


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## colarado red

very impressive:thumb::thumb::thumb:


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## caledonia

Fantastic results Damon. I am glad all the research and most of all the weather was kind to you.

Always great to see new things working and well documented.
I told you it would.  But like everything else nice to see your happy with your purchase and its now down to mastering the technique. :thumb:

The 50/50 shots speak for itself and shows what is possible with just steam and zero chemicals. But most of all no residue and run off.

Your MF usage is about right. Not bad 4 small MF for 4 wheels and 4 arches dried.

Hope you get on just as well with the other tasks you have plan. 

And look forward to you next instalment.

P.S I am currently looking for a more professional machine. My machine has served its purpose and I have now decided that it will not be a dust magnet and will fit in with my car cleaning routine.:thumb:

Gordon.


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## Bigpikle

caledonia said:


> Fantastic results Damon. I am glad all the research and most of all the weather was kind to you.
> 
> Always great to see new things working and well documented.
> I told you it would.  But like everything else nice to see your happy with your purchase and its now down to mastering the technique. :thumb:
> 
> The 50/50 shots speak for itself and shows what is possible with just steam and zero chemicals. But most of all no residue and run off.
> 
> Your MF usage is about right. Not bad 4 small MF for 4 wheels and 4 arches dried.
> 
> Hope you get on just as well with the other tasks you have plan.
> 
> And look forward to you next instalment.
> 
> P.S I am currently looking for a more professional machine. My machine has served its purpose and I have now decided that it will not be a dust magnet and will fit in with my car cleaning routine.:thumb:
> 
> Gordon.


that thought has been crossing my mind too....I'll kill my machine first though I think. SWMBO had me steam cleaning some kitchen stuff today and she's now sold as well, so we'll see where we go next


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## caledonia

^^^ I was tyred trying to get mine back of my good lady.

So it might be better if I just let her have it and get a newer one. :thumb:

My logic anyway.

We are like two kids fighting over a bag of sweets. :lol:


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## parish

That's impressive. One thing I noticed, that I must have missed in Gordon's original thread, is that you are using a MF to actually remove the muck. When I tried my little steamer on my push-bike (that I posted about in the other thread) I had been trying to remove the muck using just the jet of steam which was why I wasn't impressed. Have to have another go doing it properly 

One question. Can you get the MFs used for the wheels clean afterwards?

On an ecological note, is this not somewhat a _robbing Peter to pay Paul_ thing? You are reducing/eliminating the use of chemicals - which is good - but you are using much more energy (as electricity) therefore increasing your carbon footprint? I'm not having an anti-green pop at you, I notice this a lot with various "green" options; they produce one benefit, yet are detrimental in other ways. Taking your rubbish to the Household Recycling Centre is one - less in the landfill, but more CO2 due to the mileage to get there and back?


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## MidlandsCarCare

Are these bigger units much better than the smaller handheld things? I have one of those somewhere, but obviously it doesn't hold much water...


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## caledonia

I think the point of the posting and the reason behind mine was. Not so much of the Eco aspect in general. But it was to save chemicals and waste entering the storm drains and in turn the water table.

But I take your concerns on board Parish, and agree hole heartedly.

But you have also to look at the full picture also. Steamer vs the PW energy used and the like.

But thats for an other day. 

I am no Eco warrior dont worry. 

Gordon.


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## Bigpikle

parish said:


> That's impressive. One thing I noticed, that I must have missed in Gordon's original thread, is that you are using a MF to actually remove the muck. When I tried my little steamer on my push-bike (that I posted about in the other thread) I had been trying to remove the muck using just the jet of steam which was why I wasn't impressed. Have to have another go doing it properly
> 
> One question. Can you get the MFs used for the wheels clean afterwards?
> 
> On an ecological note, is this not somewhat a _robbing Peter to pay Paul_ thing? You are reducing/eliminating the use of chemicals - which is good - but you are using much more energy (as electricity) therefore increasing your carbon footprint? I'm not having an anti-green pop at you, I notice this a lot with various "green" options; they produce one benefit, yet are detrimental in other ways. Taking your rubbish to the Household Recycling Centre is one - less in the landfill, but more CO2 due to the mileage to get there and back?


1, the MFs clean pretty well TBH. I use old ones that are Costco ones and past their paintwork life. I did some very manky areas the other day on another job and just soaked 4 of them in some soda crystal solution (about 1L of water and sprinkle of crystals) overnight before washing and they came up 95% again. Very slight stains on the worst bits but absolutely fine for continued use in these tasks. A wash at 30 degs seems to get them very clean and I have so many that I wait until I have about 12-15 cloths and wash them all together in a full load in the machine.

2, with you on the electricity thing... I think you always need to consider the trade-offs being made. The good thing is these small units only take a few mins to get up to speed and a few mins to clean and then are done. I'm willing to bet it uses no more electricity than my old PW would in the same tasks though, so probably a positive trade-off in this instance, I hope 

I like the idea of steam for a few reasons:

1. effectiveness of the clean - inside and out of the car
2. no chemicals
3. no run-off
4. economy from no using no cleaning chemicals

the trade-off is the fact it needs electricity 



RussZS said:


> Are these bigger units much better than the smaller handheld things? I have one of those somewhere, but obviously it doesn't hold much water...


havent seen a handheld one, but mine holds 1.6L IIRC, and is pretty small. Certainly smaller than a Vax hoover etc. Probably about 18" x 10" or so from memory. VERY portable :thumb:


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## reparebrise

parish said:


> That's impressive. One thing I noticed, that I must have missed in Gordon's original thread, is that you are using a MF to actually remove the muck. When I tried my little steamer on my push-bike (that I posted about in the other thread) I had been trying to remove the muck using just the jet of steam which was why I wasn't impressed. Have to have another go doing it properly
> 
> One question. Can you get the MFs used for the wheels clean afterwards?
> 
> On an ecological note, is this not somewhat a _robbing Peter to pay Paul_ thing? You are reducing/eliminating the use of chemicals - which is good - but you are using much more energy (as electricity) therefore increasing your carbon footprint? I'm not having an anti-green pop at you, I notice this a lot with various "green" options; they produce one benefit, yet are detrimental in other ways. Taking your rubbish to the Household Recycling Centre is one - less in the landfill, but more CO2 due to the mileage to get there and back?


Parish

Great question, and you are partialy correct, but the whole processes needs to be evaluated. The production and transportation of the chemical is very involved process in many cases, and when using the arches as an example, many will use a pw before the chemical, thus using electricity.

Using my own shops as an example, the steamer goes through one warm up cycle, where the element is on constantly for 15 mins, throughout the rest of the day the element comes on only when the temps drop. Here in Quebec most of our electricity is generated from renewable sources(water driven turbines and wind mills) so the carbon foot print is negligable. For areas that use coal or oil fired electical generation this may not be the case.

The other important point is user safety. When using car cleaning chemicals I am sure that the majority do not use the proper protection. Most require gloves, masks and respirators. For the weekend detailer this may be less of a concern, but for the professional detailer that is exposed to these chemicals for many hours every da«y it is a major concern.

Learning to read a MSDS sheet is very important, but one part that is easy to use is a small section called in most cases the HIMS rating(also found on some bottles)that list concerns, health, fire, and reactivity, personaly nothing enters our shops with a rating of more than 1 (scale of 0-4) with a preference of 0. Also of note on a msds sheet is the transport rating, again with a preference twords no need for classification. For all the products that you use do a simple test, read the MSDS sheet than ask yourself if you would let your children play with it, if the answer is no, look for something that can pass this test.

Steam has only one concern and that is heat, so no I would not let my children play with it, but if they did at least they could not do more harm that a little burn.


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## Bigpikle

^^ I did steam my hand for a second at one point, but luckily the heat was enough for me to withdraw my hand quickly, but not to actually scold or burn me. I suspect the commercial machines might have a slightly hotter steam though


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## Vyker

Even you dirty arches look clean! :lol:

Great work.


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## Bigpikle

Vyker said:


> Even you dirty arches look clean! :lol:
> 
> Great work.


I think the flash made them look much brighter and cleaner than they were. They were reasonably dirty - honest


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## Epoch

Is this a bigger steamer than the wall paper remover types made by Earlex Damon, I have one of those kicking about.

Looks pretty impressive for just a steam clean, will the nozzle fit to the inside of the wheel when it's fitted?


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## Bigpikle

Epoch said:


> Is this a bigger steamer than the wall paper remover types made by Earlex Damon, I have one of those kicking about.
> 
> Looks pretty impressive for just a steam clean, will the nozzle fit to the inside of the wheel when it's fitted?


no, but its 3.5 bar so much higher pressure, and the trigger attachment means it builds up lots of pressure. Nozzle is very small - size of a small finger, so easy to get in a wheel. Done the wheels while still on a couple of times and wrks great. Comes with a few brushes and other attachments as well as the nozzle.


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## JoeAVS1

Thanks for doing that its good to see tests of other tools I've been thinking about one recently.

However without trying to sound demeaning I'm sure my PW would use much less water to clean wheels & arches than it would to be filling the washing machine with water (plus electricity) much more frequently especially in a commercial setting.

My 2p:thumb:


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## philworrall

Joe, what has a washing machine got to do with it?

Phil


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## MaDMaXX

I guess washing the MF's afterwards?


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## philworrall

But if you wash one you can wash 30 for the same cost?

Phil


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## Bigpikle

...and you use a MF to dry wheels/arches anyway....

and I bet it doesnt use less water:

25L for a full wash in my machine (4-5 full wheel and arch cleans or 16-20 wheels/arches)
6-10L/min for a PW....

can you do 16-20 arches and wheels in less than 4 minutes of PW time, and get them clean with no chemicals used, with zero waste run-off? I would be impressed to see somebody teach me that...


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## mattsbmw

A very interesting read, i have a wagner wallpaper steamer sat in the shed so might get that out tomorrow as it has some steam cleaning accessories and give it a try on some old wheels. if that works will then try it on my enginge bay :thumb:


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## AndyC

Damon, where did you get your Vax from matey? :thumb: (linky would be top notch)

I seriously considered getting one Friday afternoon after covering myself in water from the PW and a mixture of dirt, Surfex & Smart Wheels - not pleasant at all; just got the angle of the Karcher lance wrong when rinsing and Bob's your (very wet and muddy) Uncle!

The "range of household uses" part also appeals when it comes to getting another detailing accessory past SWMBO


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## The Cueball

I hate this site...I just could not help myself...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....rkparms=algo=CRX&its=S%2BI&itu=UCI%2BSI&otn=4

I NEED to be banned from here, ebay and paypal before I do something really daft!! 

:thumb:


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## drive 'n' shine

I've got a steamer similar to yours Damon, but tbh I have only used for doing headlinings and such, wonder how effective it is on really grubby wheels? Something to try at the weekend me thinks!


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## Bigpikle

AndyC said:


> Damon, where did you get your Vax from matey? :thumb: (linky would be top notch)
> 
> I seriously considered getting one Friday afternoon after covering myself in water from the PW and a mixture of dirt, Surfex & Smart Wheels - not pleasant at all; just got the angle of the Karcher lance wrong when rinsing and Bob's your (very wet and muddy) Uncle!
> 
> The "range of household uses" part also appeals when it comes to getting another detailing accessory past SWMBO


Vax V-081 from Graded Electricals on ebay - good service. Alex at SP got sa good deal on one from Robert Dyas as well, although not quite as cheap as the graded unit.



drive 'n' shine said:


> I've got a steamer similar to yours Damon, but tbh I have only used for doing headlinings and such, wonder how effective it is on really grubby wheels? Something to try at the weekend me thinks!


good idea - dont have any really truely dirty wheels to try it on, so willleave that joy to you  I dont take wheels off other peoples cars unless they do it and want me to clean them, so its less of an issue, but it did a great job, cuts through grime instantly. No idea what it would do with years of baked on brake dust - guess that might challenge a lot of things...

Look forward to seeing how you get on. I have a list of domestic steaming chores to work on now though


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## Serious Performance

You should have gone for it Andy! ... I managed to get some cycling shoe marks out of my Mum and Dads hall carpet inflicted several years ago... That was a week ago, and I've not seen it since ... My old dear says it's a wicked bit of kit tho!!!! 

I hope to actually make a start on the GTR undercarraige this weekend if the weathers half decent!


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## TimG

Thank you very much for the share. :thumb:
You reminded me that my steam cleaner has more uses rather than just using it on the interiors.


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## nicks16v

You have all got me started now. Is this the one Alex has? 
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Vax-V081-Compact...14&_trkparms=72:1296|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

Which one would you recommend for my own personal car use?
There are so many, and like PW's some are bound to be better/more reliable than others, any recommendations?


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## 11068

Nice write up. :thumb: I've had one of these steamers for age's now, great for door / boot shuts / wheels, hard to reach interior carpet.

Perhaps not the biggest or best on the market but it does a fine job. Got mine form B+Q


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## nicks16v

Which one WP?


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## Serious Performance

nicks16v said:


> You have all got me started now. Is this the one Alex has?
> http://cgi.ebay.ie/Vax-V081-Compact...14&_trkparms=72:1296|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318
> 
> Which one would you recommend for my own personal car use?
> There are so many, and like PW's some are bound to be better/more reliable than others, any recommendations?


Yep, thats the one both myself and Damon have.... I paid about £55.00 delivered from Robert Dyas which I was pretty pleased with .


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## Bigpikle

nicks16v said:


> You have all got me started now. Is this the one Alex has?
> http://cgi.ebay.ie/Vax-V081-Compact...14&_trkparms=72:1296|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318
> 
> Which one would you recommend for my own personal car use?
> There are so many, and like PW's some are bound to be better/more reliable than others, any recommendations?


thats what I have and got it from them - good service and fast :thumb:


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