Hello World! Welcome Friends! Whether you absolutely love your car, or just use it to get to from point A to point B and could probably only tell someone what color it was if you thought hard enough, there are some excellent reasons why having a clean car is a very, very good idea.
Save Your Paintwork and Prevent Rust
Not everyone wants a clean car because it just looks better, but if you’re finding it hard to get the motivation to do so much as run your vehicle through a car wash, you should probably know that a lot of that dirt, grime, and probably bird poop, is eating into your cars paintwork.
Most modern cars have a protective clear paint over the actual color, which is why you may notice some color deterioration as this layer starts to come off. Once this starts happening it won’t be long before the metal underneath will start developing rust spots.
You might get away with a few years driving a rusty car, but that will depend on where the rust is. If it is in any of your door hinges, around the hinges of your hood, in the structural zones of your windscreen (front or back), or in certain parts of the underbody, then your car is a driving deathtrap.
Although you can run it through a car wash each month, these are often really harsh on paintwork, and while car detailing is awesome, it can get pretty pricey, which if you don’t particularly love you car can be hard to pay out.
All of this is why looking into the best steam cleaner for cars is going to be your best bet. You knew this was going to be the answer – it’s in the title of the article, what you didn’t know was why. Steam cleaning is easy enough for you to do at home, it can be a quick and easy affair, or you can discover that it’s actually really good fun and spend a lot of time developing a whole new relationship with your car.
Choosing a Steam Cleaner
As cleaning your car probably isn’t really your thing, choosing the right steam cleaner can make all the difference. Right from the start you want to make sure that you can choose a model which is going to heat up fast, produce even and reliable steam pressure, and is going to be able to maintain steam production for at least 45 minutes.
Although your primary focus at this stage is the outside of your car, make sure you are looking at a model with some great accessories – you will get addicted to steam cleaning (honest, see here). At the very least you will want a wide head that is great for working on the exterior, a high-pressure fine nozzle that can help get rid of the grease and grime around your wheels, and an upholstery head that will be able to clean your cars interior.
Because there are a lot of different models with slightly different functionality on the market, you really can choose exactly what you need. However, because you probably aren’t really as excited by this purchase as you could be, also take into consideration how easy the machine is to actually use. If you need to read a 300-page manual before you can plug it in, it will sit in the garage forever more.
You’ll want something with either a flexible hose or that comes with a flexible nozzle attachment, just because that makes it easier to get into tight spaces and the hard to reach areas. You will probably enjoy the experience more if you get something that is pretty easy to maneuver around as well.
Tips For Use to Prevent Damage
The whole point of this exercise is to prevent expensive repairs to your vehicle, with the side benefit of meaning you have a beautiful looking car, that actually smells good (was it mentioned that steam cleaning you car’s interior kills bacteria and removes those foul smells you’ve been trying to mask with cheap deodorant?). However, there are some considerations before you just go full out blasting everything in sight.
Yes, you can steam clean your engines, in fact if you have an older car that tends to leak a little, this could very well save you from a car fire, but, you need to be careful of your air intake, your computer and your ignition system. Stay well away from areas of your car’s engine that can (and will) be damaged with a high-pressure steam clean, or any water vapor that gets forced in.
For your exterior try to keep at least 4” off the paint work, potentially 6” if you have a particularly high-powered machine. Although the steam itself won’t usually be enough to take off your paintwork, the pressure may well be, and the last thing you want is to discover the underlying rust because you’ve just taken off a layer of paint.
Try Before You Buy?
Do you still need to justify a steam cleaner, either to yourself or a partner? Before you say that you’ll just rent one to see how it goes, be aware that many of the rental options won’t be as good as one you would research and buy yourself.
Another option is to ask around to see if anyone has the model you are most interested in, or call the company selling it and see if they have a demo model that you can test out, or at least see in action at the store.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
Take the Hurdles Out of Home Care
Ways to Make Exposed Pipes in Your House Look Chic
When Should You Hire An Appliance Repair Contractor
I’d love for you to join my email list! You’ll receive a notification straight to your inbox which will include links to my latest home project posts! Simply enter your address below.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day/night depending on where you are in the world! Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!
Toodles,
Oh I’d hate to see how dirty the water is when i steam clean the seats in my car! Maybe going with leather is a better choice haha!