steamer help

[ufo69chevelle]

i finally shelled out the money and bought a steamer. ran across a used cobra DLX from an old man that never used it. he actually bought a 12 gallon steamer to do his and his wifes cars on th weekends. i am very impressed with it so far, works much better then my old shop vac/air hose-turned to water hose/ sprayer nozzle. my question is, what is a good soap to put in it? ive talked to buddies that have been detailing and got mixed reviews. any input would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[Obsessive Detail]

I don't use any kind of chemical in mine, just distilled water.  Mine cleans awesome without really having to use that many chemicals.

[tdr6874]

just apply the soap via a spray bottle to the area and work it in with a nice brush then vac it out...dont mix the chemicals and then spray them out...it will greatly reduce the life of the pump and you will find yourself wasting alot of chemicals...you want to use a soap that is designed for extraction...one that is low foaming and even add a de-foamer in the tank...this is to keep the suds that are being sucked up from getting into the vac motor...check out detail king...they have some good items for extractors...

[Kitzy]

I'm getting a bit confused here.  Are we talking steamers or extractors?  Extractors are more like vacuums and will pull liquid from the carpets.  A steamer actually uses steam and is good for door panels, dash, seats, carpets, etc.  I thought steamer but now I'm thinking extractor. 

[Obsessive Detail]

I'm getting a bit confused here.  Are we talking steamers or extractors?  Extractors are more like vacuums and will pull liquid from the carpets.  A steamer actually uses steam and is good for door panels, dash, seats, carpets, etc.  I thought steamer but now I'm thinking extractor. 

I thought he meant steamer at first too!

[tdr6874]

The model he posted should be and extraxtor with ln board in line heater that sprays hot water. 

[Kitzy]

Gotcha.  I dont have any experience with either so the model didn't mean anything to me and I didn't think to look it up.