can someone recommend a steamer and extractor?

B

Billy Baldone

New member
Hello all. I need some recommendations for a good quality steamer and extractor. I go full time mobile in the spring, and am in need of some guidance. thank you. Also possible pressure washer solutions for me. i prefer electric as they tend to be quieter. Right now i am leaning toward the Comet from Obsessed Garage. thank you
 
Depends on how many vehicles you will do per week or day AND the size of them. If you are planning to take on soccer mom vans and full/large size SUVs, they will present a myriad of carpet and fabric challenges, the least of which includes square footage (AKA area) of carpet and stain types from foods spills to small human (AKA children) body fluids (you pick which ones).
If you are on a tighter budget and still want good (NOT cheap) equipment, for the extractor the Mytee S-300-H and for the steamer the Vapor Systems VX5000.
For a better professional system (and obviously more money), for the extractor the Mytee HP 60 Spyder and for the steamer the Rhino Systems 145 PSI 120-Volt steamer. For less expensive steamer, you might look at the Dupray Hill Injection Steam Cleaner.

Another idea? Check out a local commercial carpet store/distributor/retailer who may also sell industrial carpet cleaning equipment. They offer good advice and local service-after-the-sale that may be invaluable time-wise (and money-wise!) to your detailing business OR may have used equipment that will fit your mobile detailing business start-up budget.

For an idea of what you may be up against for cleaning; check out the post from Street5927 about a spilled chili clean-up and the equipment he used. You cannot get these results with department store home-type carpet cleaners and steamers!!:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/click-brag-the-detailers-showcase/191227-hungry-chili-spill.htm
 
Lonnie said:
..[there`s the pricey].. the Rhino Systems 145 PSI 120-Volt steamer.
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Woo-hoo, that`s some performance! Too many "serious" steamers are way too underpowered, but 145psi is impressive.

I`m happy with my Daimer 1500C, which soldiers on despite egregious neglect and abuse on my part :o When it did have minor issues, the guys at Daimer were *great*, so I can easily praise their Customer Service.

[uote]..Another idea? Check out a local commercial carpet store/distributor/retailer who may also sell industrial carpet cleaning equipment. They offer good advice and local service-after-the-sale that may be invaluable time-wise (and money-wise!) to your detailing business OR may have used equipment that will fit your mobile detailing business start-up budget.[/quote]

THAT!

And buy a name-brand extractor that can be DIY-serviced easily and that somebody local can service when Pro attention is required. You sure don`t want to ship it anywhere! (Ditto for the steamer.)

My Century/Ninja extractor has been very good, but it did need some Pro servicing, and I was sure glad the local guys were familiar with `em.

Don`t forget to consider the sprayer specs, that really can make a big diff; it`s not *just* about sucking up the liquid.
 
I have the Vapor Rhino 145, but in the 230v version. I am able to wash the exterior of a vehicle with it in almost no time. It does struggle a bit to keep pressure, but it does what I need it to do for now. I also do mobile as a service, and can wash cars with less than a gallon of water with it and can do it in temps as low as 20* without it freezing due it only using 5% water vapor, unless you use the chemical injection, which I do. The only downfall to the Vapor Rhino is that you cannot use de-ionized water in it. I tried it to prevent water spots forming, and the sensors in it will not detect it and cause it to not function.

I am looking at a larger unit, the Fortador Pro., which has more PSI than the Vapor Rhino and to increase profits and decrease time, can use two hoses at once. This is a stand alone unit whereas I have to take my Generator with me for the Vapor Rhino due to the 230v and most clients don`t have that in their house. I had one wired up for detailing in the winter and can wash a car and do a full detail in my garage with a contamination mat down with less than a gallon of water. It does take a little bit longer than washing with a pressure washer, but it is a great alternative. I also use it for the interior, door jambs, inner wheels, etc. Overall, it is an EXCELLENT machine!

Here is a video of me washing a vehicle in 16* temps. I first spray an ONR on the vehicle so I am not wiping it totally dry. If the vehicle is super dirty, I will use the steamer to first rinse and then go back over it again.

https://youtu.be/HYE0IHO-Nys

As far as Extractors, I have the Mytee HP60 for about 10 years. It`s worked flawless. I only had to replace the pump in it once about 3 years ago. Other than that, I have zero issues with it and if this one ever totally quit on me, I`d have no hesitation buying another one.
 
Street5927- Gee, I shudder to think how much something more potent than your VaporRhino would cost!

Good to know the Mytee has worked out so well for you.

Hey, that`s interesting about the VaporRhino detecting Deionized water! Is it OK with Distilled?
 
I have been eyeballing the Vapor Chief 125 injection steamer. I thought it was overkill, but will consider the option of doing vehicles in the cold
 
Accumulator said:
Street5927- Gee, I shudder to think how much something more potent than your VaporRhino would cost!

Good to know the Mytee has worked out so well for you.

Hey, that`s interesting about the VaporRhino detecting Deionized water! Is it OK with Distilled?
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Accum, it will not detect distilled either. I bought a gallon at a local supermarket and it doesn`t detect it.
 
Good recommendations so far.

As for the steamer, one MAJOR feature you may not know you absolutely need is continuous refill. Cant stress enough how much of an annoyance it can be when you run out of water and you need an hour for cooldown and refill. Its not a cheap option on any steamer but completely necessary from a professional detailers standpoint.

Also, I cant live without detergent injection. To be able to have my APC at my fingertips while using the steamer is invaluable. Nothing quite like being able to hit nasty areas of a car with superheated APC as needed. Another expensive feature but IMO a must have.
 
ShaneB- Yes indeed, +1 on the Continuous Fill! Even when not doing what seem like really big jobs.

One of these days I simply *gotta* try the chemical injection on mine! All these years and I`ve still never done it...Guess I`m worried that APC/etc. might damage it (and no, I`m not about to buy more new specialty chemicals to decorate my shelves ;) ).
 
I was worried about potential damage too, and only used it with water for a good blast of hot water when I needed it for the first year or so. Ive been using mine for a couple years now with APC with no problems. At first I used the Dupray bio-vap because it was specifically made for steam injection but its kind of pricey and i didnt find it very effective. After that bottle i switched to Poorboys APC+D @ 15:1 and have run gallons and gallons thru the machine with no problems at all.

The only issue is if the cleaner foams a little, don`t let it run out completely. ive done it twice and the pump stirs it up and basically stops working (still runs but it cant pump foam). Takes a good 15-20 minutes for the foam in the pump to settle (after refilling) to start working again. It holds like 3/4 gallon of cleaner and that lasts me a really long time.
 
ShaneB- Ah, OK...that`s all good info. Helps me narrow down what I might consider running through mine...the old EF HI (anybody still remember that stuff?!?) APC I`m using up can be pretty caustic and that always gave me pause...and I figured that a lot of choices would be too mild like the Bio-Vap. Good to know about the PB at that dilution.
 
Do those of you with hi-end extractors run de-foamers with the cleaning solutions? Is this recommended by those extractor manufacturers OR are there extractor cleaners/detergents with de-foamers built in to the formula solutions OR are there low-foaming cleaners/detergents specifically made for such extractors??
That seemed (past tense) to be a big advantage to the now-unavailable Megs Detailer Line APC+ that it had low-foaming characteristics and could be used in professional extractors.
I know that ChemSpec, a carpet cleaning chemical manufacturer, makes a de-foamer just for extractors, that used to be sold by the now-defunct Top of the Line Detailing supply (what is with all these unavailable/defunct things!!)

Any body wish to recommend cleaners/detergents to use IN professional extractors, even if it is carpet cleaning chemicals that you can buy over-the-counter at big-box stores from Bissel, Hoover, or Rug Doctor??

I currently use Optimum`s Carpet and Fabric Cleaner and it is good stuff, BUT I am doing my carpet and fabric cleaning by hand. I do see, according to the label, it can be used WITH (but not IN, is that true??) an extractor.
 
Lonnie- Yeah, IIRC TOL is where I got my Defoamer too.

But FWIW, you can find ChemSpec at Janitorial/ProFloorCare/etc. stores and undoubtedly online as well. Unless something has changed lately, ChemSpec is pretty big with the Pros.

Recently I`ve done *VERY* well using "Consumer Grade" carpet detergents (who woulda thunk it?) from Hoover/Bissel/etc. but I can`t recall the exact product names. My most recent purchase was the generic/storebrand stuff from Walmart and it`s working fine for me.

BUT that`s in the house, not the vehicles.

What`s impressed me about those products is that they clean fine (nasty stains get special attention) and *RINSE WELL*. No more of that "mediocre cleaning but endless rinsing" that I experienced with so many such products over the years. There has apparently been some big improvement in this type of product so I no longer think it`s mandatory to buy Pro stuff to get decent results.

Now if I just add a good Rinse Agent to the process I`ll be all sorted out, though I`m sure doing well without it as it is :D

EDIT: You said "Pro Extractors"...in my Century/Ninja I still just fill the tank with clear water (will eventually add Rinse Agent) and spray the Detergent on from a spraybottle. I only use the jugs of Carpet Detergent in my *other* extractors that have a separate tank for the Rinse. No matter how well a Detergent seems to rinse out, I don`t want the Century`s potent sprayer getting it *really* deep down in there for fear I won`t get it all out.
 
Any extractor should really use a defoamer in the waste tank. The way they work, the vacuum agitates the hell out of the waste water and if it foams up, that foam builds and builds and builds until it eventually gets sucked into the vacuum motor, which can destroy the motor.

That being said, I havent had much issue not using a defoamer. I have had many instances where a previous detailer left residue in the carpet which i has to extract out, and that can sometimes foam really bad. Just empty the waste tank often in these cases. I usually never let it get more than half full when using my extractor too. Just habit, I empty it 2 or 3 times of the couple gallons I collect.

I was using eco green carpet cleaner (product sold thru Daimer, who i bought my steamer from). It doesnt foam AT ALL so this was never much of a concern. I recently switched to using chemspec express lane as well as using a rinse agent in my solution tank. Foam is minimal but still more than the eco green. This combo seems to clean exponentially better than my previous product. Ive never been impressed with any car care specific cleaners (CG Fabric clean, PB carpet shampoo, Mckees extractor pre treatment etc.). They work for the average consumer but seem to fall short with many of the interiors ive had to do.
 
Seems like I get "confused" with hot-water extractors and steam cleaners, as they are two different cleaning machines. This question of, "If you could only have ONE cleaning machine, what would you choose: the extractor OR the steamer?" seems hard to answer because of the cleaning situations that one comes across. A hi-end steamer can be used BOTH on the exterior and interior (to some degree, no pun intended!). The hot water extractor will do just that; clean interior carpets and fabrics to a degree that is both effective and efficient that hand-cleaning cannot achieve or get out those hard-to-impossible fabric/carpet "stains".

ShaneB:
What is the "rinsing agent" specifically that you are combining/mixing with the ChemSpec Express Lane carpet cleaner detergent/soap and what ratio is this in/at??
 
It`s the chemspec all fiber rinse. The rinse agent is used to neutralize the alkaline pH of the cleaner and it helps with getting dirt out too. It actually does make a noticable difference. It`s acidic so it also is quite effective at dissolving salt buildup as well. The pH of most rinses are on the acidic side. Chemspec all fiber is 3.6. I`ve seen others in the 5ish range.

I can only speak for the chemspec rinse but it mixes one ounce/gallon in the solution tank.
 
ShaneB- Ah, I`d somehow missed that you too have a Daimer steamer :D

Interesting to hear that the Eco Green works well with minimal foaming. It seems the Consumer Level detergents I`ve been using are low-foaming too, nothing at all like the stuff I`d used in the past (I don`t bother with defoamer in the household extractors).

I might have to try that ChemSpec Express Lane, it sounds different from the last High Traffic Product I got from them.

Lonnie- IMO the confusion between "Steamers" and "Extractors" is exacerbated by companies like Hoover and Stanley Steemer using the word "Steam" with regard to processess/machines that do *NOT* involve steam... Gee, it sounds so effective!" and all that.. :rolleyes:

Between the two, zero question that I`d take the extractor. Admittedly, part of it is due to pets, but between the house and Detailing we use extractors *ALL THE TIME* but hardly ever use the steamer. For somebody in a different household it could very well be different, but gee...don`t people extract their home carpets/rugs regularly? What do you *do* for a nasty spill of something on such floorcoverings?
 
I guess non Autopian people just call Stanley Steemer. I see ads for it all the time around here.
 
Bill D said:
I guess non Autopian people just call Stanley Steemer. I see ads for it all the time around here.
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The local Stanley Steemer franchise here isn`t any better than some others, and *NOT ONE* local Pro gets ours as good as I do even when I use a consumer-level unit. And they leave `em a *LOT* wetter, making all sorts of excuses that I know are BS. I was utterly shocked by how mediocre Pro Carpet Services are in my area.
 
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