Interior cleaning with my new steamer

R

rockymountaindetail

New member
Received my new steamer and have done a few jobs with it now. I wanted to share some of the things that this machine can do with you guys. You really can use this to clean ALL interior surfaces. Very dirty carpet or upholstery still needs extracting, but if the car is well maintained you can definitely use the steamer on those as well.

This truck was trashed, used as a work vehicle for teenage landscaping crew.... notice the face of the radio /cd player as well!


cupholderbefore.jpg


I used the steamer to really blow out all the crap and get it good and clean, just a little APC and mostly steam. notice the face of the radio and cd player area now!


cupholderafter.jpg


Here is the before on the headliner. I used to stay away from headliners except for minor for spot cleaning. This is my first headliner with the steamer...amazing!


headlinerbefore.jpg


AFTER


headlinerafter.jpg


The steamer is great for really soiled door panels etc. Here is a rear panel in a PT Cruiser, very grimy, was actually worse in person.


before.jpg


I used some very diluted APC, the steamer with the small brush attachment


during.jpg


In only seconds it was gleaming clean and ready for some dressing.


after.jpg




I will try to get some pics of upholstery and carpet next time out. All I can say is this machine is a real time saver!!
 
The steamer used was the VX 5000 industrial steam cleaner. You can pick one up via internet for less than $1000.
 
Can you share your process for the headliner?

I have a smaller Piccolo steamer that Costco used to sell for $60 a few years back. Nothing like the one you have, but works pretty well.
 
Great pics! I just love it when something gets clean, although my wife wishes that translated more around the house!
 
This is the VX 5000 Steamer. I bought it from ATTENTION TO DETAILS. They take the regular steamer and make a serious upgrade to the hose. It costs a little more but I always upgrade on tools when possible.

As for the headliner procedure, first let me say that I went to in-person training with Renny Doyle of Attention To Details. Part of the training covered the use of this steamer. There is a 1 hr DVD included when you purchase the upgraded unit from them. It is obviously not the same as hands-on training but it does offer a newbie enough education to use the machine with confidence.

That said, it really isn't very hard. There is a large brush attachment that has clips to attach a cotton towel to. Once that is done you spray the towel (not the headliner) with your carpet cleaner of choice and crank the steamer to high, letting the towel become "superheated". Then you gently use back and forth motions, then cross hatch back the other way. You have to be real careful working overhead as if the hot steam or vapor drips in your eye it's not gonna be good. I work overhead IN FRONT of where I am in the vehicle.

I'll try to remember my camera as I continue with this machine. The ability to get into cracks and crevices is amazing.
 
And the pressure seems like enough to do the work? That's the only thing I've read about that model that some didn't like. That and not having the fill on demand.

Your thoughts?

Might have to take you up on trying it out!

D!
 
Looks really good! The steamer just melted away all that junk on the radio and cup holders! :scared:

Great job! I want one now :D
 
"And the pressure seems like enough to do the work? That's the only thing I've read about that model that some didn't like. That and not having the fill on demand."

Plenty of pressure. It has a low, med and high setting. You saw those cupholders, it handled that really well, can't imagine it being too much worse than that!

re: fill on demand....no problem. 1 fill is enough to do most cars. The steam is so dry it really doesn't use as much water as you think it would.

The fill on demand type has to heat as you go, not consistent temp for the steam. When I did the PT Cruiser, I steamed all the door panels, dash, consoles, back panels, sills etc, then did both rows of seats and all the carpets and did not run it dry. Even so it's only about 10-15 min if you need to refill to get back to working temp.
What helps is on this unit the controls are on the handle, very ergo friendly. Since you don't need to get to the machine to turn it off every time, you don't leave it running. This allows you to steam, turn it off, wipe. Then on again and so on. This really saves on the water usage!


Guru, you and anyone else in the area are welcome to come and check it out. PM me for a phone number and we can figure out a day/time
 
Will you show a photo of the Improved Hose Renny uses? Can you tell us how its improved over the standard one? For the price difference I'm hoping for a huge difference.

I'm close to buying this one, but from whom...........

Cheers,
GREG
 
I'll try to get some pics in the next day or two. I will also contact Renny to get the details of the upgrades from the horses mouth.

I'm not sure if the improved hose is that much to look at, but there were problems with wear on the standard hose in heavy use. I'm sure for the casual user the stock hose would suffice, but for commercial use I didn't want to be messing around with repairs etc. They import these steamers from Italy so I don't know how quick repairs are made.

FYI, the price Renny charges includes the instructional DVD as well,($39)
 
I have gotten some questions about the upgraded hose/extra cost of the VX5000 Steamer from Attention to Details. I spoke with the owner Renny and asked him to clarify. I also took some pics of the upgraded hose assembly. Even though I have my steamer set up on a cart, I find myself stepping on the hose when backing out of a car etc. This happens quite a bit so for my purposes it is worth it. I also failed to mention that for the added cost Renny offers a loaner program so if your machine needs service, you can have a loaner while it is being repaired. For a professional this may be important. Here is his reply:


"The up graded hose is just part of it, but if you were to order a heavy duty hose from the manufacturer, it would be an additional $200.00 - $300.00. The DVD comes with the unit as does the loaner steamer offer, which is huge should you need to have your steamer serviced! We also included a "products" list that offers the best products for the job at hand and the support we offer after the sales is unmatched! Getting a steamer is one step...knowing how to use it is the hard part and we support those that purchase from us!"


hose.jpg
 
i came to this from another post of yours rmdetail. i was wondering after reading about your steamer how it might work on leather seats because i'd like to clean my wifes seats but can't use anything that smells as she's allergic. i have a small steamer that i could use just not sure what effect it would have on the leather. any opinions
 
thats good to know rich. one other thing, i see how big a diff the steam does to the leather but does it dry it out, do you have to conditon the leather afterwoods or can i just steam clean wipe and go. can't wait to try it out on the bimmer.
 
Definitely condition the leather afterwards. I start with the lowest steam setting and move up as I need to, kinda like polishing I always try least aggressive first. I have never damaged any leather and the customer is usually surprised at how awesome the leather looks when I'm finished.

These machines truly are awesome, you can use them on almost every surface in the car from the carpets to the headliner and everything in between. It is also a great time-saver for me because it not only does a better job than by hand but does it quicker. Better and faster is a tough combo to beat!!

For those of you considering a purchase I know on ATTENTION TO DETAILS website Renny sells an instructional DVD. You could get a pretty good idea of what the machine is capable of and how to use it from that and then decide on your purchase.
 
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