Steam Or Dry?

[The Dodge]

How do y'all clean you carpets/upholstery? I have always just dry vacuumed the carpets and if there was a stain or two, I would use some Blue Corral Upholstery/Carpet Cleaner(and elbow grease) on the stains and then vacuum. Does any of you use a steam cleaner on your carpets and upholstery? I'm very much a neat freak(just ask my wife) and the thought of steam cleaning the carpets and upholstery in the vehicles very much appeals to me. Any thoughts or recommendations would be great.

[ChadKerk]

Re: Steam Or Dry?

I steam them all the time.

[93Vette]

Re: Steam Or Dry?

Yes, steam cleaning is the best.

[The Dodge]

Re: Steam Or Dry?

So what type of steamer do y'all use?

[ChadKerk]

Re: Steam Or Dry?

A Butler Truckmount or a PowerClean Truckmount with a 59 blower on it. Its a little overkill for doing uph and carpets in cars. For a porty- A Mytee M5 with a few different hand tools like a PMF internal jet, a Kleenrite 3 inch, a KleenRite 6 inch, a HydraForce-Steamway Hydroknetic, Prochem ss, and a powerwash gun with a 25 degree tip.

[MaxImage]

Re: Steam Or Dry?

I agree with 85300zx in that steam cleaning is always--as a whole--the best way to clean carpets, due to the fact that it does the most thorough cleaning of the upholstery in question. However, "best" in this case is objective as the detailer would need to make a professional judgement on how to best treat the carpet. If there is just a "stain or two" as mentioned by the OP, I would stick to the spray and scrub method. My personal favorite carpet cleaner/spot remover is Quik Out aerosol. Only when the spots/stains are deep (i.e. soda stain that's been allowed to set and dry, or coffee, oily/greasy, etc), stubborn, and/or widespread do i break out the steam. For superficial stains, the spray and scrub is my go to method. Because time is often of the essence, if the spray and scrub can do an acceptable job in acheiving the outcome you desire, stick to that method. A steamer often takes time to setup, and in some cases, heat up before you can start your work. Granted that you can do something else while this is occuring, sometimes you can spend two minutes to spray and scrub, without any further setup and take down time that a steamer requires (in the event that you're mobile and not doing it at home/brick and mortar shop where you can leave your equipment assembled, ready for use.)

The Dodge, I'm not sure whether you're doing this for a living or a hobby, but if it's the latter, steamers are often a big investment. They do, however, have a wide range of uses in and around the house, so they're very versatile machines to have. This is not to discourage you from purchasing a steamer, but rather to promote awareness in the event that browsing turned to buying.

[Tuck91]

Re: Steam Or Dry?

I have always done a great job cleaning nasty interiors by hand.

I have seen so many show off threads on various forums where the detailer "steam cleaned" the entire interior but there is still dirt in the seat racks, cracks & crevices, etc.

I am not saying a steamer is not an awesome tool, I am just saying you need to know how to properly clean the interior of a vehicle.