Steam team cleans up

With the daily bashing car interiors take, you may find that the usual cleaning methods don’t always work. If you’re struggling to shift ingrained stains, both inside and outside, a steam cleaner can help.

This Karcher model comes with all manner of accessories to help you tackle the job. You fill up the built-in water reservoir from the tap, and within three minutes it’s ready to go. Steam is delivered via a flexible, two-metre-long hose, which makes working in and around your motor easier.

We tackled a number of blemishes for this test. First was some polish residue on the seats, which quickly vanished using the brush fixture. We also spruced up the entire interior quickly with the same attachment. Just be careful not to leave it in one place for too long, otherwise the area gets damp.

In addition, we tried cleaning some parts under the bonnet and on wheels, but this wasn’t totally successful as some of the stains remained. The closer you get with the nozzle, the more effective it is as the steam is at its hottest at the source, but we found it’s far better suited to interior cleaning.