By Todd Schmidt
Sunday, 03 May 2009 19:00

It was a nice and lazy Sunday today and I figured it was about time to drag the lawn mower out of it's corner in the garage and comply with the rest of the neighbors that had used this wonderful weekend to clean up their yards.  As I was rolling the mower back around to the garage an idea came to me.  All my friends and clients are asking me, "what kind of steamer do you use and can it clean [various surface/grime]."  So I decided to clean up my 3 year old mower with just my steam cleaner to make an example of the power of steam cleaning.  However, not only do I prefer to use steam for it's ease and speed, but it's also many times safer for the environment than chemical cleaners and solvents most detail shops use.

Lets get to the fun!

These first few pictures are just where I had started... with a mower that hasn't been cleaned or washed in about 3 summers.







This probably looks a lot like your own lawn mower.  It was covered in caked on dirt and flecks of torn grass all over not to mention the grease under the cover.  Now I'm sure you are looking at it like, "sure, it can get clean but it can't get that clean.

Well, here's a couple pictures in progress.  Notice the difference between the black plastic cover on top and the section below....



The EuroSteam 1900 system I use is a commercial grade vapor steam cleaner used in heathcare, food service, and other high end detailers.  The dry vapor steam kills mold, mildew, viruses, bacteria and provides chemical free cleaning.  You can see how easily it makes lines in the plastic cover of my mower.



The pressurized steam at 185°F - 245°F easily melts grease, which is very simliar to the body oils that collect on your steering wheel, wiper stalks, and gear shifter.





Here's some before/after pictures:









And the results!








The entire process took me less than 15 minutes and used only about a quart of water.  A full interior detail using steam will use no chemicals and less than a liter of water leaving carpets completely dry within an hour or two.  A detail shop using a hot water extractor will use about 6 gallons of water and harsh chemicals to clean your carpet and upholstery, often leaving it damp which risks developing harmful mold or mildew days later.

Steam is completely safe to use on all surfaces including plastic, leather, upholstery, even electronics.

And speaking of water conservation...  the International Carwash Association recently released a study on water usage comparing full service car washes and the old garden hose method in your driveway.  While cleaning your car by hand with a hose and bucket uses over 100 gallons of water, a typical automatic car wash will use about 35-50 gallons of water.  I can clean your entire car inside and out with less than 5 gallons.

So what does this show besides that I am a crazy person that waxes his kitchen counter and steam cleans his lawn mower?  Hopefully it shows you that, especially in this time of environmental awareness, it is time for a lot of people to rethink many things that are taken for granted like water use and chemical run-off.

Just a few things to think about the next time you wash your car or are looking to get it detailed.