steam cleaner or hot water extractor?

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ride5150

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Apr 20, 2011
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Im starting a mobile detailing business soon and am contemplating between buying a steam cleaner or a hot water extractor. i know that with a steam cleaner ill be able to do interiors with less effort, like cleaning the dash and all the small crevices. im sure a steam cleaner will be easier to use since itll blow dust out of the hard to reach places and cup holders...and will make it very easy to clean leather seats

the only issue i have is with cleaning the upholstery. with an extractor, i can deep clean the fabric seats and upholstery well, and probably without much effort. pretreat and scrub with brush IF necessary then go over w extractor, or just use the extractor alone without scrubbing and pretreating first if stains arent too bad.

with a steamer, ill have to spray down the seats + upholstery with shampoo, scrub with the triangle brush attatchment while steaming, extract with my shop vac, then probably go over the area again with just steam this time (to "rinse" out the soap), and then extract with the shop vac again.

if theres a bigggg stain, like a large tomato juice spill, it seems that it will be much easier to clean with a hot water extractor than with a steamer. just extract w extractor, vs spray with shampoo + steam + scrub +extract + steam again + extract again. and it seems like an extractor will do a better job.

what do you use to clean upholstery? what procedure?

other thigns to consider, i was thinking about getting the "Vapor Clean II" steamer by vapor clean-$369, or the duramaid mini hot water extractor-$640. theres almost a $300 price difference
 
If you use a steamer on fabric you don't need to extract as well. They are dry a lot faster as well.
 
Personally I would get the steamer first. You could always add a Bissell Little Green Machine for $100. It does hot water extraction. Does it do it anywhere near as good as an Aztec, negative. However, you will probably use the steamer more. I have the BLGM and plan on adding a steamer way before upgrading my mini extractor.
 
Having worked for a Janitorial Supply Distributor for several years I have had a lot of experience in working with commercial carpet extractors.

We carried a line of Minuteman floor care machines including two commercial carpet extractors. I used to take the smaller unit in my SUV to demonstrate the effectiveness of these machines to my customers.

I also used it on my brothers 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse that he bought and was restoring. The carpets and cloth upholstery were filthy and greasy. We tried cleaning them with the normal carpet cleaning solution but it would not take out the grease. We then sprayed the carpets with an industrial degreaser, used a brush to agitate and then used the carpet extractor to clean the seats and carpet. Results were like brand new!

You need the high pressure suction of the extractor to remove the soap and chemicals from the carpets and upholstery.

You might be able to duplicate these results with a Bissell steam cleaner as suggested in an earlier post.

If this is to be a major component of your detailing service than somewhere down the road you should consider a carpet extractor.

Midnight Blue
 
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i really dont know anymore, i wish i had the funds to buy both. i rlly only need the steamer to ease cleaning of the dashboard, to get into all the little crevices and cupholders etc. also to clean leather seats.

for the fabric and uphholstery tho i would rlly rather have something that extracts right away.

maybe i should buy the extractor, and then a cheaper steam cleaner?

like the durmaid mini hot water extractor for carpets and upholstery, and a McCulloch Heavy-Duty MC-1275 steam cleaner to help with interior hard surfaces, crevices and leather seats?

what do you guys think? good idea?
 
ride5150 said:
i really dont know anymore, i wish i had the funds to buy both. i rlly only need the steamer to ease cleaning of the dashboard, to get into all the little crevices and cupholders etc. also to clean leather seats.

for the fabric and uphholstery tho i would rlly rather have something that extracts right away.

maybe i should buy the extractor, and then a cheaper steam cleaner?

like the durmaid mini hot water extractor for carpets and upholstery, and a McCulloch Heavy-Duty MC-1275 steam cleaner to help with interior hard surfaces, crevices and leather seats?

what do you guys think? good idea?
Click to expand...

you can own both....Wagner 905 steamer ( $97 @ Lowes) Bissel little green machine ($93 @walmart):props: This is what I currently use.....down the road? Aztect and vx5000
 
I have yet to meet something I would need an extractor for that my steamer couldn't do.

The Tornador also works great, if a little slower.
 
dad07 said:
you can own both....Wagner 905 steamer ( $97 @ Lowes) Bissel little green machine ($93 @walmart):props: This is what I currently use.....down the road? Aztect and vx5000
Click to expand...

do you just clean your own cars or run a business? ill be doing this full-time over the summer and want to make sure my equipment is good "enough"
 
ride5150 said:
i really dont know anymore, i wish i had the funds to buy both. i rlly only need the steamer to ease cleaning of the dashboard, to get into all the little crevices and cupholders etc. also to clean leather seats.

for the fabric and uphholstery tho i would rlly rather have something that extracts right away.

maybe i should buy the extractor, and then a cheaper steam cleaner?

like the durmaid mini hot water extractor for carpets and upholstery, and a McCulloch Heavy-Duty MC-1275 steam cleaner to help with interior hard surfaces, crevices and leather seats?

what do you guys think? good idea?
Click to expand...

Save the money... Buy that steamer, i have it and you can't beat it for the price. I have not touched my LGM in a year since I gained my faith in the steamer. I keep my LGM around in the event I find something that wont steam out with Folex and the steamer + terry cloth rag over the corner attachement.

I think you can get the same results with both but the steamer is faster. I consider the LGM whenever I have to use heavier soaps on a stain.
 
Da Fats said:
Save the money... Buy that steamer, i have it and you can't beat it for the price. I have not touched my LGM in a year since I gained my faith in the steamer. I keep my LGM around in the event I find something that wont steam out with Folex and the steamer + terry cloth rag over the corner attachement.

I think you can get the same results with both but the steamer is faster. I consider the LGM whenever I have to use heavier soaps on a stain.
Click to expand...

yeah but what if you have a really large heavy stain, like a kid spilled juice all over the floor? if i use the steamer then i have to pretreat, spray cleaner, scrub/steam, extract, spray cleaner, scrub/steam, extract, and keep repeating this over and over again until its gone.

it just seems like a steamer without a built in extractor would be more benefecial for hard to reach hard surfaces, while a hot water extractor would be better for upholstery and carpets. it constantly applies solution and extracts, i dont have to do it seperately like with a steamer

ill be running a business with this, so i really cant half-ass an interior shampoo...i just wish the extractors that could stand daily-use were cheaper

im kindof set on buying the mccullouch 1275 in addition to a hot water extractor, im just looking for an extractor that will be good enough to use on a daily basis but wont be $700...
 
what about this one here? anyone used it before? its a little cheaper but still has 85" of water lift. drawback is that its not heated, i could add hot water but how am i going to heat water if im mobile...haha

Bravo Carpet Extractor w/o Handle

ideas?
 
Hello Ride,

Check out a local Janitorial Supply Company to see if they sell used or refurbished carpet extractors. Most of these companies rent out carpet extractors and rotate them after so many hours of service. Most of these companies also have on site repair facilities where they service these machines.

Remember there are any number of places to buy a commercial carpet extractor including this website. The point is that slightly used machines are a whole lot more affordable than buying brand new.

Midnight Blue
 
thanks for the idea midnight, i think this bravo will be okay for my needs. i found that you can buy a "bucket heater" that can heat water for about $30-$40, so i can heat up water and put it in the extractor even when im mobile.

right now, i think im going to buy the bravo 219BH(or 237BH, each site has a different model number, even though the specs are the same. EDIC's website has it as 337BH), the mccullouch 1275 steamer, and a bucket water heater.

total for those 3 things will be under $600, and ill have a quality extractor and steamer. i think this is what ill go with.

i have another question, can you use a carpet extractor to vacuum the interior? i was going to buy a nice wet/dry ridgid vac, but if i can use the bravo extractor to vaccum an interior before carpet cleaning then ill just use that and ownt have to buy a wet/dry vac
 
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ride5150 said:
yeah but what if you have a really large heavy stain, like a kid spilled juice all over the floor? if i use the steamer then i have to pretreat, spray cleaner, scrub/steam, extract, spray cleaner, scrub/steam, extract, and keep repeating this over and over again until its gone.
Click to expand...

Pft, Pre treat, scrub if needed, wrap a MF towel around the triangle brush, steam. Repeat if needed. Forget the extract part.

I have found GTechniq W2 (apc) mixed right, spray, scrub, wipe with a MF towel gets out the stains, no need for steam. Steam could be used afterwards if you want to be double sure.

I went from this:
4991405174_a3a8b1e1eb_b_d.jpg


to this:
4991409928_e67e550e5d_b_d.jpg


With a wet/dry vac, Folex and steam in about 10min.
 
ride5150 said:
yeah but what if you have a really large heavy stain, like a kid spilled juice all over the floor? if i use the steamer then i have to pretreat, spray cleaner, scrub/steam, extract, spray cleaner, scrub/steam, extract, and keep repeating this over and over again until its gone.

it just seems like a steamer without a built in extractor would be more benefecial for hard to reach hard surfaces, while a hot water extractor would be better for upholstery and carpets. it constantly applies solution and extracts, i dont have to do it seperately like with a steamer

ill be running a business with this, so i really cant half-ass an interior shampoo...i just wish the extractors that could stand daily-use were cheaper

im kindof set on buying the mccullouch 1275 in addition to a hot water extractor, im just looking for an extractor that will be good enough to use on a daily basis but wont be $700...[/QUOTE

... Just Folex with light agitation... 10 min dwell time and then steam and scrub.... spot treat the tougher things with a slightly stronger solution then steam and scrub... once the are carpets looking like new again touch em up with the shop vac and they are dry in 10 mins...

I have a cheap steamer and a cheap extractor... I'd buy a new steamer that was "professional" grade next before I bother with a new extractor... It just does not see enough action to justify the expense.
Click to expand...
 
ride5150 said:
i have another question, can you use a carpet extractor to vacuum the interior? i was going to buy a nice wet/dry ridgid vac, but if i can use the bravo extractor to vaccum an interior before carpet cleaning then ill just use that and ownt have to buy a wet/dry vac
Click to expand...

You will need a 5+HP shop vac with wet/dry filter regaurdless of anything else that you buy... If your mobile I'd hit up Lowes they have a small one thats like 4 gallons and 5hp... its what I use.. its small and only 60 bucks but its got the power you need.
 
Talking with the vendors that only do interiors of the used cars at dealers, they all recommend a steam cleaner. I don't know if they also have an extractor on hand, but I watch them use the steam cleaner all day long.

Plus they are great for house cleaning too. Bathroom, kitchen, furniture, etc.
 
How well do those cheaper steamers work? I am considering hitting up Target, Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot today to look for one. I am cleaning my new car and finally tan in to some floor mats that are simply not coming clean. I have used Folex as directed, Folex and the hot water extraction, and even tried my DP Extractor Pre-Treatment. Nothing. Oh I even tried Folex and a pressure washer. I am still not happy with them. They are MUCH better then they were, but just not good enough.

Any ideas/recommendations on a cheap steamer?
 
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