so i detail locally and operating as a small business ive come across all types of cars. a few days ago i detailed a chevy suburban, the entire trunk and back two rows were covered in oil and coffee stains, their was really nothing i could do so now im considering buying a steam cleaner. if anyone knows about them or owns them let me know which ones you'd recommend and if their worth the purchase, my price range is at max $500 so this could be difficult. thanks for all your help
You can find them in that price range. A big part of cleaning interiors is IDENTIFYING the stain and using the appropriate cleaner. TOGWT did a fantastic article on that topic. You would need an enzyme type cleaner in that case. The steam is not magic but just another tool for your toolbox. The proper cleaner in this case will make a bigger difference than steam. And I own one.
Richy is right. It really helps to identify the stain first. Enzyme cleaner works good on coffee, oily stains too depending on what kind of oil it is. I have a vx 5000 steamer. It's about 800 us. i wouldn't be without it.
I'm glad this came up. Any tips on identifying stains? I worked on a pickup not long ago that had, predictably, stains all over the carpet below the cupholder. Coffee, right? I thought so too. Turned out, the owner kept a bottle of power steering fluid in the cupholder, and some had dribbled out and onto the carpet. I kept scratching my head, wondering why I couldn't get it to budge, and when I delivered it, he told me "yeah, that's power steering fluid, I figured that was probably ruined." I consider myself a darn good interior guy, but every now and again, one will baffle me a little bit. So, tips on stain identification would be great. (Note - some are obvious, of course, and sometimes, the owners can tell you)
Cornstarch naturally absorbs oil. Cover the oil spot with cornstarch. Let it work for about an hour. Brush and vacuum. Repeat if necessary this should do it for the oil.
What would you guys use for Smoke stains? A group of cars i am working on were in a warehouse fire and every square inch of the cars is covered in Soot. There is one that has a few spots that got wet when the fire was being put out. These wet spots attracted the smoke and are dark black. I have tried Steam and a few cleaners (cant remember which ones at the moment) Any ideas?
ok thanks for everyones help. now i understand i must identify the stain...what types of mainstream brand cleaners would remove these, im not talking high end like zaino 1z menzerna any of those, i mean like mothers meguiars etc etc...
Do a search for "Strouse" and carpet cleaning. there are a few people here like denzil and others that have writen about this. Strouse does list a few chemicals like prochem, bio-kleen, and pros choice. According to strouse these chemicals are amongst the best (if not the best) for spot threaments, and carpet cleaning.
