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Regardless of your project, a pressure washer is a helpful tool to have at your disposal. With a lot more power than your average garden hose, pressure washers can help you blast moss, dirt, mud and grime off a variety of surfaces.
Name | Avg. price (USD) | Max Pressure(PSI) | Max Flow Rate(litres/min) | Detergent Tank/Bottles | Weight (kg) | Purchase |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ryobi RPW140-G![]() | $149.00 | 2,000 | 6.67 | Yes | 7.7 | |
Karcher K2 Plus![]() | $89.25 | 1,600 | 6 | Yes | 5 | |
Briggs & Stratton BWS018![]() | $148.00 | 1,880 | 6.6 | Yes | 6.5 | |
Bosch AQT 45-14 X![]() | $275.00 | 2,030 | 7.5 | Yes | 22 | |
Karcher K4 Premium![]() | $263.20 | 1,900 | 7 | Yes | 12 |
A pressure washer is a tool that connects to your outdoor spigot and delivers a powerful, high-pressure stream of water through a cleaning nozzle. These cleaners provide a fast and efficient way to clean driveways, patios, tiles, concrete, cars, bikes and more.
The main advantage of using a pressure cleaner is that if you need to give a dirty, muddy or moldy area a deep clean, it’s much quicker and easier than a hose, bucket and scrub brush.
You can use a pressure washer for a wide range of cleaning jobs, including:
If you only need a pressure washer for a one-off job, you might be better off renting one for a day from an equipment rental service. Check the daily rates in your area before deciding whether renting a machine might be a more sensible option.
If you only want a pressure cleaner for basic jobs, like blasting mud off your bicycle and getting your outdoor furniture looking new, an entry-level model for less than $200 should have all the power you need.
However, they plug into your home outlets so you’ll need to deal with the hassle of lugging around a power cord and possibly an extension cord.
Cost is probably one of your top considerations when buying a pressure washer. You can pick up an entry-level electric model for around $50, but most units sit within the $100 to $600 price range.
As a general rule, the more money you spend, the more cleaning power you’ll get. Gas-powered pressure washers start at $300 and go up to around $2,000 for an industrial-grade model.
There are many additional factors you should take into account when buying a pressure washer. Here’s what to consider:
Compare pressure washers for 2021
To decide the best pressure washer for your needs, you’ll need to consider exactly how you plan on using it.
What type of cleaning will you be doing? Do you want electric, gas or battery power? How much are you willing to spend? Once you know what sort of cleaner you want, you can start comparing your options.
To help simplify the shopping process, we’ve compared the pros and cons of five popular pressure washers in the table below:
The good | The bad | |
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Bosch AQT 45-14 X |
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Briggs & Stratton BWS020 |
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Ryobi RPW140-G |
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Kärcher K4 Premium |
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Gerni Classic 110.5 |
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There are a couple of important things to remember before using a pressure cleaner:
Investing in a pressure washer can make your everyday cleaning much easier and maybe even a little more fun. Choose the model that’s the best fit for your cleaning needs by comparing the size, weight, power and price before you buy.
To choose our list of the best pressure washers, we considered the price point, size, flow rate, water pressure and ease of use. We also factored in third-party product reviews and our own online research.
What’s a good pounds per square inch for a pressure washer?
The higher the pounds per square inch, the more powerful the machine and the more cautious you need to be when operating it. Pressure washers can range from around 1,200 pounds per square inch to 2,800 pounds per square inch.
Is it safe to use a pressure washer on a car?
Yes, but with caution. Choose a low-pressure setting — somewhere around 1,200 to 1,900 pounds per square inch — and a wide spray nozzle, rather than a narrow, direct stream.
Can I run hot water through my pressure washer?
Only if your pressure water is rated for hot water. Otherwise, hot water will damage your pump over time.
Image: Shutterstock
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