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Whether you love to or hate it, detailing your truck or just cleaning can be a challenge. I happen to be one who enjoys detailing when the occasion rises. With much research and different methods within my price range I decided on purchasing a Vapor Steam Machine. Dry Ice machines are available for detailing commercially as with Vapor Steamers for thousands of dollars that a business could justify.
My first experiment was a mommy vehicle which had all the conditions that could scare a grown man.... Food, dried candy stuck to the carpet, spilled drinks and mold. Success! I was impressed. Next was my 2008 Grand Cherokee which needed a long overdue Winter time cleaning and it turned out great.
The thing that always eluded me was getting glass clean, not anymore, crystal clear. The vapor steamer uses distilled water and on my Jeep with a general cleaning I never used over 32 ounces.
So here is what I purchased, a 1500 watt McCullough Vapor steamer. So far I have used it to clean my kitchen and floors, bathroom shower and 2 vehicles. Next will be the my truck and engine for those really tough spots. Most of all it can be used on all vehicle interior materials including leather.
A good or must watch video, with a professional detailer, will give you a better idea of how to use the Vapor Steamer.
The best thing about this method, you reduce the amount of cleaners needed to take on your vehicle and it left the glass crystal clear. Hard to remove smashed bugs on the front windshield and bumper, gone with little effort.
The friend who volunteered her mommy vehicle was the true test, only item I could not correct was bleach that had leaked onto the carpet. It actually ate the fibers when I did the initial vacuuming. I did use a degreaser on the inside door jams and re-lubed the hinges once finished.
Once the vehicle is waxed, you could do touch ups on the outside with a shot of vapor and micro fiber towels. Road tar removal is one I have not had a chance to check out. My stainless exhaust tip has a nice collection of gunk and tar, so it will be the first test...
The truck will be the next big clean-up and I can already see the time spent on cleaning up my motorcycle will be cut in half.
I very much like this. Especially combined with how easy the SD interior is to strip out, you can deep clean you cab with fairly minimal effort. The headliner section was interesting, where he took the ink right out.
Give yourself some room to work inside:
(Why yes, my carpet IS pristine after 7 years. Thanks for noticing!)
Just ordered mine to tackle the "green" on my White vehicle.
On-line only from HD.. but free shipping..
Thanks John!
I think you will enjoy what you can clean with the steam unit, especially all the algae. I was pretty excited after using mine when I first posted this thread then thought maybe others didn't see it the way I did.
Keep me posted on how all of you do, just don't let your wife know it also cleans soap scum from bathroom tile and tubs or you will not have time for your truck......
(Why yes, my carpet IS pristine after 7 years. Thanks for noticing!)
You went all out and as mentioned, not that hard of a job to strip the interior. Nice work! This Summer I found keeping the bugs off the motorcycle and front of my vehicles an effortless job.
The glass has me interested. I can't stand much on the glass.
That includes the streaks left by spray glass cleaners.
It's the inside that really drive me up the walls and in the cab
that is not fun at all.
All you do is vapor steam the interior glass, wipe clean with a towel. For bug parts use the brush to scrub the area direct on the glass then wipe, repeat till clean. You can go direct on the surface or just spray steam depending on the area.
One item for me to clean were the vent louvers in the dash, not anymore.
04-19-2014, 09:38 PM
Food, dried candy stuck to the carpet, spilled drinks and mold. Success! I was impressed. Next was my 2008 Grand Cherokee which needed a long overdue Winter time cleaning and it turned out great. 
