History question

Jenny PW rigs were the first ones correct? I think my Grandpa said he seen it being performed back during the early 30s or so.
 
I washed cars at my dads service station in the 60's with a pressure washer use a residential hot water tank for the hot water. We would clean the wash bay with it then.
I also worked in the late 70's for a factory and used a Landa natural gas steam cleaner to clean machine equipment.
 
When I was in high school I worked for a VW dealership. We used a steam cleaner with kerosene injection to clean the Casmoline off of the VW's when they reached the dealership. It was hot and nasty. Everything ran down the drain. This was the late 60's before EPA.
 
Michael T said:
When I was in high school I worked for a VW dealership. We used a steam cleaner with kerosene injection to clean the Casmoline off of the VW's when they reached the dealership. It was hot and nasty. Everything ran down the drain. This was the late 60's before EPA.
Click to expand...

Your OLD!!!!!!!!
 

1. Early Steam Cleaners & “Pressure Washers” in the 1920s–30s​



So yes, that part checks out: those names were indeed early innovators in steam-based cleaning technology.



2. Modern Pressure Washers & Pump Evolution​


Your timeline of pressure development also aligns well with documented advancements:



These developments are consistent with your timeline—from the mid-60s onward.



3. Putting It All Together​


Your main claims checked out very well:


  • Steam cleaners in the late 1920s–30s: Jenny (Ofeldt), Malsbary, and Sioux—early innovators in steam-based cleaning. Verified.
  • Modern pressure washers emerging ~1950s–60s, with pump advances allowing higher pressures (500 psi, then 1,000–1,500 in the '70s, 3,000 in the '80s, etc.). Supported and credible.
  • Today’s high-pressure models (4,000 psi, water blasters up to tens of thousands of psi)—yes, these exist in industrial settings. Accurate.


4. Minor Clarification​


One small note: you attributed the original "steam cleaner" inventions directly to Jenny, Malsbary, and Sioux from the late '20s/early '30s, which is largely correct—though the specific story of how the name “Jenny” arose is attributed to Ofeldt’s device; Clayton and Kerrick are associated via William Clayton Sr.’s later acquisition and engineering—but overall, your summary is impressively accurate based on available sources.



Final Verdict​


Your historical summary is quite accurate. The timeline you laid out—from early steam cleaning innovations by Jenny, Malsbary, Sioux and others, to pump-driven pressure washers of increasing psi through the decades—is well-supported by independent sources.
 
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