Beware of the Vapor Steamer!!!

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statusdetailing

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First off, let me start by saying that I use a Vapormaster 3000 (basically a vx5000 under different name), and love it!

But!​

There is a lot of talk in the forum about steamers. There are Ton's of great reviews about how much time they save and how well they work, but I don't see a lot of info about the DANGER they can present.

Vapor steamers are dangerous and can cause serious Damage!

  • will delaminate headliners
  • burn plastic
  • and remove dye from leather
The biggest problem I have with steamers is that they will burn plastic, especially black plastic. Even a single pass on "low" over some black plastic will leave the plastic looking white and dead.

As long as you are careful on headliners and move quickly you won't have a problem, but stay in a spot to long and that sucker is coming down! Same with leather, move too slowly and you will lighten the color of the seat. That being said, when used properly, a steamer works incredibly on headliners and leather, and I've never had any problems with carpet or upholstery.

But, what about Plastic? I have the biggest problem with this. It takes a while to really get a feel for what vinyl and plastic can and can't handle steam. I've found that most Ford plastic hates steam..especially F-150's don't even think about using a steamer in an F-150!

Before I bought a steamer I watched all these amazing videos online of guys blasting the crap out of cupholders for prolonged periods of time. Do that and you will almost always be sorry.

BEWARE!

Does anyone else have this problem?
Have anyone come up with a solution? ​
 
How does it do on serious carpet stains?

Carpet stains are my kryptonite
 
statusdetailing said:
First off, let me start by saying that I use a Vapormaster 3000 (basically a vx5000 under different name), and love it!

But!​

There is a lot of talk in the forum about steamers. There are Ton's of great reviews about how much time they save and how well they work, but I don't see a lot of info about the DANGER they can present.

Vapor steamers are dangerous and can cause serious Damage!

  • will delaminate headliners
  • burn plastic
  • and remove dye from leather
The biggest problem I have with steamers is that they will burn plastic, especially black plastic. Even a single pass on "low" over some black plastic will leave the plastic looking white and dead.

As long as you are careful on headliners and move quickly you won't have a problem, but stay in a spot to long and that sucker is coming down! Same with leather, move too slowly and you will lighten the color of the seat. That being said, when used properly, a steamer works incredibly on headliners and leather, and I've never had any problems with carpet or upholstery.

But, what about Plastic? I have the biggest problem with this. It takes a while to really get a feel for what vinyl and plastic can and can't handle steam. I've found that most Ford plastic hates steam..especially F-150's don't even think about using a steamer in an F-150!

Before I bought a steamer I watched all these amazing videos online of guys blasting the crap out of cupholders for prolonged periods of time. Do that and you will almost always be sorry.

BEWARE!

Does anyone else have this problem?
Have anyone come up with a solution? ​
Click to expand...
Don't own a steamer and never used one, just putting that out there. A lot of time I see people using steamers they have some sort of rag, probably MF, wrapped around the nozzle. My guess is this would be something to try so there's no more discolored interiors for your clients.
 
I agree with what you state. You need to be careful. If you wrap a MF towel around the tip it does help lower the temperature. I just got my steam cleaner and only plan on using it on carpets, cloth seats, engine bays, and wheel wells.
 
On really serious carpet stains, I'll use APC+ at 4:1 or even super degreaser at
10-15:1. Next, I scrub with a carpet brush and then steam. I almost always follow up with the extractor and it works incredibly. I use the steamer on high when doing most carpet.


Here's my secret on the worst stains, though. If isolated stains remain after steaming and extracting, I'll let the carpet or upholstery dry slightly and then only lightly mist the area with folex. Next, I use a white cotton towel and scrub or blot the stain until it is gone. By lightly misting the stains you will not reactivate the wicking process by soaking them.

With all these steps, I wish I just had a true high pressure vapor steam extractor. I know they are out there, but I'm sure they are extremely expensive.

Does anybody use something like this? How much do they cost or are they even practicle?
 
statusdetailing said:
On really serious carpet stains, I'll use APC+ at 4:1 or even super degreaser at
10-15:1. Next, I scrub with a carpet brush and then steam. I almost always follow up with the extractor and it works incredibly. I use the steamer on high when doing most carpet.


Here's my secret on the worst stains, though. If isolated stains remain after steaming and extracting, I'll let the carpet or upholstery dry slightly and then only lightly mist the area with folex. Next, I use a white cotton towel and scrub or blot the stain until it is gone. By lightly misting the stains you will not reactivate the wicking process by soaking them.

With all these steps, I wish I just had a true high pressure vapor steam extractor. I know they are out there, but I'm sure they are extremely expensive.

Does anybody use something like this? How much do they cost or are they even practicle?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I know the Vapor Clean makes a steamer and extractor in one unit. It's about 750 I think. If I can remember SeaJays and Richy have one from seeing a post.
 
snowking724 said:
Don't own a steamer and never used one, just putting that out there. A lot of time I see people using steamers they have some sort of rag, probably MF, wrapped around the nozzle. My guess is this would be something to try so there's no more discolored interiors for your clients.
Click to expand...



Nice looking truck! I think using a rag works the best on upholstery imo, but I'll try it on plastic panels and see how it goes.

Luckily, I've never actually permanently damaged a clients vehicle. I've whitened some black plastic in fairly inconspicuous areas testing it out, but most of the time you can very lightly remove that "burned" white film with very fine steel wool. Follow it up with hyper dresser and it looks fine.

I did screw up my brothers F-150 the first day I got the steamer though! Haha he got over it.
 
rider9195 said:
Thanks for the tips. I know the Vapor Clean makes a steamer and extractor in one unit. It's about 750 I think. If I can remember SeaJays and Richy have one from seeing a post.
Click to expand...


No problem, hope it works for you. Has anyone used the Vapor Clean steamer/extractor combo? I'd be interested to see how well that works as oppossed to a regular heated extractor.

I use a mytee with a seperate heater. It gets really hot but isn't steam.
 
I have a vx5000 and have not turned it up as many have recommended. I started out using white cotton towels from Sams Club on the end of the brushes but have found that short sports socks go on and off easier and don't fall off as easy. Headliners are extremely delicate and I use low steam only and move quickly. I find leather must be approached the same way. Haven't yet experienced any problem with ford truck plastics. I have a F250 4x4 crew cab as well as my son and son-in-law have plus do a fleet of F250's for a landscaping firm. The steamer works great on drink holders and consoles. Believe me when I say that these landscaping crews are worse then a bunch of kids in a mini-van.
These steamers are professional tools and must be taken seriously.Used properly the are a godsend to the serious detailer IMO.
 
landscapers and contractor vehicles are the worst interiors to do. I just completed a job on a Dodge Ram last week that took me 2 hours to do just the cab! The previous owner was a cabinet installer I think and I spent the first 30-40 minutes using a 240mph blower to blow out as much sawdust and other stuff as possible. The rest of the interior was covered in various glues and other sticky substances which would not have been possible to fully remove without my steamer and its hot water injection feature.

Using steam for interior details can be a delicate situation sometimes but Ive found that by slightly dampening the leather with water beforehand helps prevent any damage & also cleans it faster too if one is only using the power of the steamer to clean leather. Same principle applies to vinyl dashboards & trim too. Regarding plastics, not just Fords, but BMW black plastics are very sensitive to steam as I've discovered the hard way through trial & error. BMW plastic vents may seem greasy and appear as if steam is needed to cleanse but really thats just their look when wet- dont steam them! You'll just burn off the protective black coating and leave a dull discolered finish which can be temporarily rendered with a good dressing but still... dont play with fire if you dont have too.
 
How do the professional grade vapor steamers work for cleaning glass, mainly the windshield and rear window? Can you use the steamer and no towels to get clean streak free glass? Any techniques or tips on doing so?
 
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