Product review: Green Steam car wash in the UAE

When we got the Alfa Romeo 156, it was covered in a thin layer of dust on the inside that seemed to be semi-permanent, stuck in the nooks and crannies of the textured dashboard, door panels and centre console. The dark-tan leather was also blackened from years of neglect. After some hard scrubbing, the leather became a bit lighter, but none of the dust on the rubberised plastics seemed to come off. We then noticed an ad for Green Steam car wash and gave them a call to check out if it’s a cost-effective alternative to an expensive detailing job.

They actually agreed to do it for free once they knew who we were. A branded van came over to a friend’s location who has a villa, since they can only perform the home service if you have your own dedicated parking space, and not in public parking areas.

The team of two proceeded to steam-clean the car using specialised equipment, inside and out, including carpets, seats, a/c vents and wheels. It leaves a thin film of condensation on the car, so it’s not completely water-free, but there’s considerably less water to wipe down afterwards, and it doesn’t make a mess on the ground.

Apparently only one litre of water is used, with no soap involved. They do not clean the engine compartment, which is probably a good thing considering the potential complications.

After the entire thing is done, they wipe down the car with microfibre cloths and the car looks shiny new. The dark stains on the leather did not go, but it looked a little bit cleaner. There are a few caveats though.

The steam-wash wasn’t able to wash off the ingrained dust on the Alfa’s overly rough-textured dash, as it went back to looking a bit dusty within a day. Also, the warm wash managed to peel off a rear-door leather panel, but we put that down to the age of our car.

So with prices starting at Dhs 130, it’s a more premium way of getting your car cleaned if you don’t like water and soap touching your paint or leather, with the claimed benefit of killing germs in the cabin as well, while a wax job is optional. Additionally, it’s more environmentally-friendly and saves water. The only thing we’d say is to avoid it if your car is very old and in poor condition on the inside. Otherwise, there are no issues with getting it done on a newer well-maintained car.