You have all heard about steamers in the detailing process, and over the course of the next few months I’ll do some quick blog posts on how to incorporate this tool into the process.

Here at Reflections Detailing of Utah I have owned this exact machine for 3 years and I have to say, I really love the benefits it offers.  The Vapor Systems VX 5000 Steam Cleaner is a top shelf machine for the weekend detailer to the full service shop that runs 10 cars through in a day.  I have a detailer I’ve known for a few years that has three of these machines that stay on all day long for 6 days a week. Needless to say, these are built to last!

The Machine and it’s Qualities:

It is a very very well built machine. The holding tank is stainless steel and holds approx 1.5 L of water, which is enough to do a mini van without refilling.

The Tools:

I only use a few of the plethora of attachments that come with the machine.  The Triangle brush is my favorite as I can wrap a towel around it and do seats, headliners, floor mats, etc.  The smaller angle brush is good for the hard to reach areas every car seems to have.  The single jet attachment is great for pin point spots like latches on seat belts, cup holders, and turn signals with grime built up.

Benefits of Steam:

Steam is a high temperature cleaner that can help reduce the need for a lot of chemicals, it activates a lot of chemicals, and water is a universal solvent.  While the temps at the tip of the steamer can be 300 degrees the farther you move away from the point the temps range from 275-180 degrees.  You can really fine tune your cleaning power by adjusting the distance.  This takes practice and like all things detailing you want to start with the least aggressive first.

Conclusions:

I simply love this compact machine.  The machine gets my carpets cleaner, activates my chemicals more effectively, allows me to spot clean areas, can clean carpets without the use of an extractor, can be used to loosen up grime on coated leather, great at cleaning windows, door jams, air vents, wheel bits and areas, the list goes on and on.  I know a few high volume shops that use this exact machine, where some might think this is “tiny” for such a place.  The customer service for repairs and maintenance is top notch as well.

Future articles?  Boat interiors, cleaning carpets, cleaning leather seats, headliners, door jambs, engine bays…..what are some things you would love to see me do a quick post on? Leave them in the comments section below!