The other day I was watching a baseball game. When the game ended, an infomercial for a Bissell vacuum came on, and I left the room but did not turn off the tv. 30 minutes later, I come upstairs, and, wouldn't-ya-know-it, my wife tells me she bought a new vacuum!

So, in addition to the full size vacuum, we also received a hand-held steam cleaner. I'm thinking it might be great for cleaning bikes (as long as I don't aim it directly into the BB, hub axles, or headset cups. Anyone used something similar on their bikes or small parts? I do already own an ultrasonic cleaner, but I'm thinking this may come in handy for post-ride spray-downs. What do you think?



BISSELL Steam Shot? Handheld Hard Surface Steam Cleaner 39N7A | Parts & Reviews

(I know, not really C&V related, but this is where I usually hang, and preservation of vintage parts is at stake.)

I've used a buddy's steam cleaner on bearings, chains, derailleurs, small parts, etc., but not on a frame or complete bike. Best use I've found for it has been cleaning out gunk and/or old grease for the mentioned parts. Great for the initial tear down of new acquisitions. And couches.

....and it was useless for cleaning bike dried grease. Tried it out on an old hub shell with lots of caked grease and steamer didn't do squat! Ditto on old bearing cages and some other parts. I thought this would be a great alternative to chemical cleaners, but forget about it! Plus it only holds a limited amount of water so you need to be constantly refilling it. But I didn't really know how useless it was until I saw it advertised on TV after I purchased it from a local store, again same unit with different name) .

MIght be useful for some light duty house hold tasks, but a waste of money for me. Another infomercial POS

DON'T do it! If you do, be prepared to say good bye to stickers and, perhaps, decals. If there is any pressure, you will be saying good bye to parts of the top layer of paint. For components, good enough unless they have stickers or decals attached, as is the case with the old Simplex derailleurs...

When you mentioned "steam cleaner" in the thread title I thought of something like this:


Years ago I had access to one when I worked part time at a heavy equipment repair shop. It did wonders for removing grease and grime from the construction equipment that came in for repair. It would also quickly remove paint and skin if you weren't careful. I only worked there six months but during that time the engine compartment in my car was the cleanest it's ever been.

I tried cleaning some steam with it, but all I got was dirty water.

After I have built or refurbed a classic ride I see moisture as an enemy to my treasure. At the most I will take a damp cloth to wipe away dust after a ride.

The steamer I have used is the McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner (you can find it on amazon). As Randy mentions, tread carefully if at all. Thinking back, I DID 'clean' one bare frameset by enveloping it in a cloud of steam followed by a quick weipedown and then simple green, etc. The steam didn't help with cleaning the frame (logos are paint under clear, head badge is metal, no stickers or decals, so no real worries there). I'd say it's handy for deep cleaning caked up metal bits (BB cups, hub bodies, axle threads, etc.), but not terribly useful on a built bike - and potentially dangerous. Choose any attachments/nozzles carefully. A light wash with a hose is much more efficacious at cleaning dirt/mud off a bike post-ride as the mass of the hose water caries away any gunk as it passes. Steam would just make any mud a bit wetter on the surface. I would NOT use high pressure steam.

Thanks for the heads-up with this thread. I will have to add a steam cleaner as one of the 3 most dangerous things in the hands of a new mechanic. The other 2 are:

1. pressure washer (water) and
2. WD40.

All of these will strip out necessary grease in critical spots such as headsets, wheel bearings, freehubs, brake pivots etc.

The most dangerous thing: is putting a bike on an external car rack, and then driving at highway speeds in the rain. Sure to blow out the grease in every bearing on the bike, even the bottom bracket.

Solution for cleaning a bike... a wet rag. But I spend a lot of time cleaning the outside. Almost all of my maintenance time is spent digging around on the insides.

Thanks for the input, guys. I don't have a problem with my traditional cleaning methods, so I guess I'll reserve the steam cleaner for the carpet and other fabrics.

Yeah, you could be coucho777