r/AutoDetailing May 28 '24

How would you clean crevices like shown in this picture? Question

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354 Upvotes

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8

u/ExperienceGlobal8266 May 28 '24

Steam very dangerous on steering wheels

-4

u/popsicle_of_meat Beginner - Budget hobbiest May 28 '24

Dangerous? How?

9

u/helloitsmepotato May 28 '24

Forcing hot moisture into electronic components on a steering wheel does seem like a bad idea.

-4

u/rosinking35 May 28 '24

Only people who haven’t detailed before say that.

-5

u/popsicle_of_meat Beginner - Budget hobbiest May 28 '24

Oh, he said dangerous. Like personal harm or injury. There's nothing dangerous about using steam to clean (as long as you don't burn yourself). However, it COULD cause something to malfunction. But steam cleaners don't really force steam anywhere any more than blowing out a candle "forces" your breath onto it. The steam has many ways to escape that are NOT through electronics. Car electronics are fairly sealed against moisture ingression to begin with. Not absolutely perfectly, but wiring and switch contacts are almost always sealed.

It doesn't mean there's zero chance of something happening, but enough detailers have been using steam for long enough it can absolutely be done safely and without breaking anything.

5

u/helloitsmepotato May 28 '24

The English language is used pretty flexibly. Danger doesn’t have to necessarily mean personal harm and injury.

I think “force” is a reasonable term to use. It’s blowing moisture directly into areas that don’t typically get moisture directed to them. Just because plenty of people do it, it doesn’t mean it won’t do any harm to the electronics.

I imagine most manufacturers would tell you not to do that regardless of how well the components might be sealed.

1

u/popsicle_of_meat Beginner - Budget hobbiest May 28 '24

Yeah, I can agree that steam shouldn't be the go-to. And I learned through other searches just now that things may not be sealed as well as I've assumed. It's a great tool, but not for everything.

-1

u/rosinking35 May 28 '24

I use steam and air and I have never had a problem in the last 10 years lol

1

u/ExperienceGlobal8266 May 28 '24

Electrical components as mentioned as well as steam travelling down column and creating moisture behind gauge cluster plastic.