The 6433 and the 6506 can both be cleaned with steam. The important thing with steam is to keep the cleaning cycle to 15 minutes or less and to keep the temperature around 212°F. Also, make sure the hose is hung up and drained afterward. Attached is the manufacturer (NovaFlex) best practices for cleaning. In the food and beverage area, a lot of people are cleaning with steam. We typically see hose assemblies lasting about 4 years in breweries. It can be shorter or longer depending on use. When it is time to replace you will notice the walls of the innertube will start to show wear. Sometimes you can see this by shining a flashlight down the hose end. Some people are even buying cheap endoscopes online and periodically inspecting the inside of their hose assemblies.