steam cleaner or hot water extractor?

[sullysdetailing]

I got a steamer this week and have been hit interiors hard. This is what I noticed. It did great in the dash, doors, door jams, areas where you cant easily reach, headliners.

But here is the problem with the steamer. if you are working on a light color interior IMO you need an extractor to get the carpets, seats, and headliner 100%.

To me you need both tools to get the job done. It like a DA and Rotary buffer some job require one or the other some requite both

 

[ride5150]

Why not have both in one?! I recently purchased the Vapor Clean Gaia. It's a steamer and extractor in one. See this review I did. Gives you an idea of what it can do.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/34677-vapor-clean-gaia-finally.html

are you happy with it? i read your review and it seems like a good idea.

so there is a solution tank that sprays hot solution and extracts, and it can spray steam alone, or spray steam and extract simultaneously? has it cleaned everything you wanted it to?

the only thing im wondering is if my original idea would be better, to buy a bravo portable extractor for $389 and a mccullouch 1275 for $100...id be at around $550 with shipping...i just dont know which will be better for cleaning, the gaia alone ($769) or my extractor + steamer combo

 

[SeaJay's]

are you happy with it? i read your review and it seems like a good idea.

so there is a solution tank that sprays hot solution and extracts, and it can spray steam alone, or spray steam and extract simultaneously? has it cleaned everything you wanted it to?

I am very happy with it so far. I haven't used it more than a few times but so far it's great!

There are two separate tanks on it. one for water for the steamer and one for an extractor solution.

You can use the extractor function like a normal extractor or you can use it with steam.

It's basically the best of both worlds. The extraction isn't as good as say the Mytee lite but it works well. I like having both machines in one. Makes transporting it easier as well.

 

[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

In answer to your question about using the carpet extractor to vacuum the car's interior the answer would be yes but a regular shop vac might be less of a hassle. The carpet extractor is meant to be used as a wet/dry unit. While the vacuum power would be sufficient in an extractor you risk damaging the unit if you pick up foreign objects which could get caught in the plastic and rubber piping.

It would be best to use the carpet extractor for that purpose and use a vacuum for that purpose.

Midnight Blue

 

[WindyCity]

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

Im sure you could but you might damage the extractor. A small decent shop vac is less than $60 and will save your extractor big time.

 

[ride5150]

I am very happy with it so far. I haven't used it more than a few times but so far it's great!

There are two separate tanks on it. one for water for the steamer and one for an extractor solution.

You can use the extractor function like a normal extractor or you can use it with steam.

It's basically the best of both worlds. The extraction isn't as good as say the Mytee lite but it works well. I like having both machines in one. Makes transporting it easier as well.

where does the dirty water go? as i understand it, you have one water tank thats for making steam, and another tank that holds the solution you want to spray.

or do you have one water tank for steam, and the other is just a recovery tank for the dirty water it sucks up?



can you put

 

[BorisC]

How well do those cheaper steamers work?

Researching steam cleaners I've found that you want to look at the PSI & what the boiler tank is made of. Stainless steel seems to be the preferred choice.

I haven't bought one yet so I'm just going by what I've read. I've seen videos of steam cleaners being used to clean everything from interiors, wheels & even washing the car itself.

 

[RoyalTenenBaum]

I was in the same boat between and extractor and a steam cleaner before starting my own mobile detailing business and decided to go with the steam cleaner first. I did the research and bought the VX 5000. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. If this is a business that you plan to do for a bit I would recommend to buy the best products that you can afford or else you will find (as I have) that you will just end up replacing the cheaper ones later on down the road.

At first using the steam cleaner I thought that I would be needing a carpet extractor down the road for the seats and carpets. However, after learning how to properly use my VX 5000 over the past year there aren't too many jobs where I feel that I could've done better with an extractor. I think that you will find a steam cleaner more "necessary" than the extractor.

BTW, for the longest time I used the triangle tool with a terry cloth for carpets and upholstery with so-so results. Recently I have been using the triangle brush tool by itself to work in the shampoo and using the terry cloth to wipe after and have found the results much more impressive. Anyways, something to try out. Best of Luck.

Royal

 

[Bates Detailing]

I was in the same boat between and extractor and a steam cleaner before starting my own mobile detailing business and decided to go with the steam cleaner first. I did the research and bought the VX 5000. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. If this is a business that you plan to do for a bit I would recommend to buy the best products that you can afford or else you will find (as I have) that you will just end up replacing the cheaper ones later on down the road.

At first using the steam cleaner I thought that I would be needing a carpet extractor down the road for the seats and carpets. However, after learning how to properly use my VX 5000 over the past year there aren't too many jobs where I feel that I could've done better with an extractor. I think that you will find a steam cleaner more "necessary" than the extractor.

BTW, for the longest time I used the triangle tool with a terry cloth for carpets and upholstery with so-so results. Recently I have been using the triangle brush tool by itself to work in the shampoo and using the terry cloth to wipe after and have found the results much more impressive. Anyways, something to try out. Best of Luck.

Royal

:iagree: And great movie :dblthumb2:

 

[john b]

:iagree: And great movie :dblthumb2:

for sure,gene hackman was superb:dblthumb2:

 

[BorisC]

I did the research and bought the VX 5000. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

This is one I'm considering since I want something to use on more than just cars. Anything you don't care for or would change about the VX5000?

 

[RoyalTenenBaum]

Hmm.. I've been pretty happy with the VX 5000. The water capacity is enough that I don't think that I've ever run out of steam on any one vehicle. It heats up in around 8-15 minutes depending on the length of your extension cord. The hose is sufficiently long enough to be convenient and the machine comes with all of the appropriate brushes and tools and then some. In my opinion I don't think that it can be beaten for the price and it has an industrial feel to it. The entire machine is made of stainless steel and the rubber hoses and tools seem to be very durable. I'm sure that there are some more expensive steamers out there that would have more cleaning power but if I were to buy another steamer I would buy another VX 5000. No complaints.

 

[ride5150]

welllll i ordered an aztec hot water extractor and a mcculouch mc1275 steamer, ill use the aztec for carpets/floormats/upholstery and the steamer to help with interior hard surfaces, leather, doorjams, tight spots, and taking out gum or melted tootsie candy...not that ive ever accidentally left some in my cupholder or anything...in the sun...

 

[richy]

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.
Not necessarily. Until you use a steamer, you have no idea how good it is at taking out most stains. Wrap a white terry towel around the end and you'll be disgusted at what gets pulled out and transferred to the towel.

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...

I use the VaporClean Gaia. It is an extractor, steamer and vacuum all in one. It's about $750. I've had mine 3 years and it's been great. You should also look at the Desiderio from them too although it's more $$.

 

[jenfour6]

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

It would be nice to get both if possible. But if not I think the extractor will be worth the investment, especially since a steam cleaner will take so long to go through the process.

 

[Tarn]

Hello Royal,

I am very interested in your comment here since i am in the very same boat!

I am trying to deliver the best results to my customers and find that it is taking too long to finish the detail and im not getting perfect results. Some customers expect their seats to come out brighter and whiter and i know extractors can do these jobs great. But i have a vx5000 and i apply my shampoo steam over and wipe with a microfiber and i keep repeating to get a pretty good result and finish a full interior car detail in four hours!.

Am i too slow what am i doing that is wrong and will a ninja extractor help me achieve these perfect results my customers want? I am willing to pay 1500 for a good extractor if it will help me finish in a faster time and get better results.