Steam cleaning paint?

L

Lowejackson

New member
I wonder if there are any advantages or disadvantages to steam cleaning the paint. I do not have a steam cleaner so I cannot experiment.



My theory is with some shampoo in the cleaner, this will release the dirt which could be rinsed off.



I understand the steam is heated to about 130 degree and this seems to be within the normal temperature range of paint and therefore *should* be safe.



So, is my theory reasonable or dangerous and would it work
 
I steam clean my door jambs which are painted. i only used water in the steamer and it removed the gunk build-up just fine. On Hondas like mine they use some sort of calk sealant in the body seams. This area gets very dirty and mildew. Scrubbing it only removed the paint. I saw the steamer as the best alternative.
 
Another possiblity of using steam cleaners on the outside of the car would be to get wax and polish out of the cracks in the body of the car, like between panels and such. I would think that the steam would get the wax hot enough to melt it and then it would run out of the cracks.
 
It depends if your definition of steam is a gas created by boiling water. You can see "steam" coming out of my wash bucket of warm water on a cold day outside. If the air is dry enough, the water molecules will turn to the gas phase and rise out of the liquid water, moving from high concentration to low concentration. You can see this "steam" very easily.
 
I've been thinking about this too - though more along the lines of door jambs etc rather than the main bodywork. I wonder if a combination of a foam gun and steam cleaner would work well? Use the foam gun to apply and aid the shampoo to sit on the bodywork then "rinse" off with the steam cleaner?



I would have throught a steam cleaner could also be useful for cleaning exterior trim/glass. I'm currently trying to find a steam cleaner on ebay (UK) for a good price - unfortunately they seem very popular and bidding gets a bit manic towards the end of auctions :(
 
I figured 130 F since he made the comment it was "within the normal temperature range of paint". You could boil water on your hood at 130 C / 266 F!
 
I'll give it a go on the crapper of a Merc I'm detailing. It's not like if it damages anything it'll matter! I'll have a go at getting all the crap out from the "TURBODIESEL" badge on the trunk lid.



My steamer runs at 140 celsius and 3.2 bar.



Ben
 
BenP said:
I'll give it a go on the crapper of a Merc I'm detailing. It's not like if it damages anything it'll matter! I'll have a go at getting all the crap out from the "TURBODIESEL" badge on the trunk lid.



My steamer runs at 140 celsius and 3.2 bar.



Ben
Click to expand...





That would be great Ben. I wonder if shampoo would be necessary with a steamer but my gut feeling (based upon no experience) is that it should as it would allow the detergent to lift and suspend the dirt in the water solution.
 
BenP said:
I'll give it a go on the crapper of a Merc I'm detailing. It's not like if it damages anything it'll matter! I'll have a go at getting all the crap out from the "TURBODIESEL" badge on the trunk lid.



My steamer runs at 140 celsius and 3.2 bar.



Ben
Click to expand...





Yeah so that steam is well above the boiling point temperature when the pressure is 3 times the average atmospheric pressure.



Let us know how it works on the Merc. I'm interested in seeing if anything detrimental happens to it.
 
I'll give it ago under a variety of conditions. Steam only, steam with shampoo, and also steam with solvent pre-treat.



Ben
 
I have been discussing this same topic with some other guys, because I steam clean vehicles when I detail them. It works great for me because it cuts down the need for degreasers and it saves time like you would not believe. My steamer disperses the steam vapor at about 50 - 65 psi and the temperature is between 148 - 151 degrees. I've done about twenty cars as of today and by the end of winter I will have steam cleaned the exterior of about 120 vehicles.



The process is simple and straight forward. I just direct the stream of steam in front and follow behind with a microfiber to wipe up the minimal amount of moisture. Using a steamer also keeps me from needing to use a containment mat to collect my water runoff because there is none, and around my kneck of the woods the city seems to be cracking down on what mobile detailers are allowing to go down our storm drains.



Hope this helps
 
I just tried removing tree sap with my steamer, and it melted the sap in literally under 2 seconds. I also steam clean wheels, but I apply a degreaser first, then agitate, then steam (after laying a towel around the wheel.) All the guck just drips off, then I give it a quick wipe. I'm talking about a wheel that was caked with grime!

As far as paint surfaces go, I don't know how steaming then wiping would not create new swirl marks and scratches. A product like QEW lubricates the particles before you wipe them off. Steaming just disattaches them from the paint and suspends them in pure water. I would have to see some high definition sun shots proving there is no new swirling in the paint after steaming/wiping to believe it was a safe alternative!
 
I for one would only use steam on a vehicle as a last resort - i.e. on a beater where you're going to be polishing anyway.



Ben
 
Well I tried steaming the badges on the Merc today and it did best part of nothing other than soften the glue holding them on - very dissapointed. Even after an application of solvent it made no real impact on them. Agitating with a brush didn't help matters either. I did take some photos but they show no difference so I can't be bothered to upload them.



So far my steamer has definitely been a waste of money...unless of course I got a duff one?



Now I have the slight issue of getting in and sround the decals clean...



Ben
 
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