I own a pressure washer, and as satisfying as all of those cleaning videos on social media, the thing is a pain to maintain. It needs both a hose hookup and gas, and if you're not running it regularly, you've got to empty the tank each time to avoid the carburetor getting gummed up. That said, it's great for washing vehicle exteriors and the underside of mower decks.
A South Korean company called SJE developed a better solution. Their Optima Steamer has the portability and cleaning power of a pressure washer, but without the hose hook-up. Instead it has an onboard reservoir that you fill, and offers electric versions (in addition to ones featuring a diesel engine).
As the name implies, it uses steam rather than pressure to clean things, and no chemicals, solvents or soaps are required.
Here's a demonstration of it cleaning a filthy car:
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Incredibly, the company claims you can wash an entire vehicle using just one gallon of water.
Additionally, because it's steam, you can use it for things you'd never dream of using a pressure washer for—like cleaning the interior of your car:
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Pretty damn impressive. (I do think that those guys in the vids ought be wearing respirators; while there are no chemicals, it can't be good to breathe in all that atomized detritus.)
Additionally, the tool's steam spray kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria. In addition to car washing applications, the Optima is used by hospitals, healthcare facilities, the food & beverage industries, hotels, restaurants, mass transit operators and outdoor equipment maintenance crews.
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Comments
Agree with Ryan. Diesel is illegal in my jurisdiction and electric requires 3 phase (not convenient for me). I use a small Karcher around the house but never tried it on a car.
Worked at a car detailer; steam cleaners like these got heavy use. They worked better than pretty much any solvent. Steam, wipe with a heavy towel, steam, wipe, repeat etc. Best place was on floor mats and foot well carpeting. You could get them looking like brand new in minutes.
If you want to have your car looking like you paid for a full detailing at home these are the best way to do it.