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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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The Karcher K4 Power Control is a top-tier pressure washer that provides versatility and cleaning performance. Read More
This value washer packs a punch with 3,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. That was considerably more than even some industrial-style washers. Read More
This beast of a pressure washer is marketed as a consumer device, but you’ll feel like a professional when you use it. Read More
It's effective at clearing away mud, sand, and even paint from all surfaces, but it doesn't always perform as well as it should for the price. Read More
This quickly cleared mud and sand, but paint was more difficult to get off, and its engine was also a bit on the loud side. Read More
Pressure washers may not be a glamorous tool, but for anyone looking for some serious cleaning power, they’re essential. The best pressure washers make light work of otherwise heavy-duty cleaning tasks, taking dirt and grime off vinyl siding, driveways, and more. Instead of having to sand, scrub, and scrape for hours, pressure washers do the hard work for you.
We tested a number of the top-rated pressure washers, ranging from lightweight, portable devices perfect for smaller cleaning jobs to heavy, sturdy beasts that would catch the eye of trained professionals.
The Karcher K4 Power Control (available at Home Depot for $329.99) was our best overall choice for its versatility which makes it ideal for homeowners and professionals alike. And if you’re looking to save some money, you can’t go wrong with the impressively powerful Wholesun 3000PSI (available at Amazon).
The Karcher K4 Power Control is a top-tier pressure washer
The Wholesun 3000PSI pressure washer is the best value option we've tested.
Powerful, yet somehow relatively quiet, the DeWalt DWPW2400 is one of the best electric pressure washers on the scene.
Runs fairly quietly
Effective at clearing away debris
Solid heft and build quality
Engine constantly runs
Spray wand has a heavy kick back
Difficult-to-use soap function
Spray tips are easy to swap in and out
Dispenser dial helps limit soap usage
Effective at clearing away loose materials
Garden hose hook-up is hard to use
Surprisingly loud
Hose management system isn’t great
Adjustable spray
Easy to move
Power supply issues
Very adjustable
Easy to use
All attachments sold separately
Effective at cleaning for its size
Difficult to store
Noisy
Soap function is effectively useless
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We painted blue squares on our brick exterior wall to see which pressure washers could clean it the best.
I’m Nick Bove, a jack-of-all-trades broadcaster, announcer, and voiceover artist based out of Boston. Along with Jon Chan, the senior lab manager at Reviewed, I performed all the tests in this pressure washers roundup. I built upon Jon’s initial pressure washer testing with half a dozen new models.
We tested on a variety of surfaces, ranging from asphalt to wood.
I recently moved into a house, and it truly is amazing how many projects pop up when you’re responsible for your own space. As soon as one thing is finished, three more come out of nowhere. That’s where a tool like a pressure washer can help. Instead of spending hours scrubbing the outside of my house, a pressure washer can do the job in a quarter of the time.
While gas-powered pressure washers are also an option, we tested a number of the top-selling electric models across the market. All of them are marketed to homeowners, and we found that smaller machines with a lower intensity did the job just fine, even if they’re more light-than heavy-duty.
Look at the box of any electric or gas pressure washer, and you'll see something about PSI, GPM, or Amps. While all those specs are very interesting, what is really important is if the pressure washer can clean well and if it is easy to use.
For cleaning, we painted vinyl, wood, aluminum, brick, and asphalt and then covered each with half an inch of compacted dirt. We blasted each of these surfaces with the pressure washers on various settings and gauged how easily we could get rid of the dirt and not damage the paint. After the tough but gentle approach, we went full bore and tried to strip the exterior and spray paint off of all the surfaces.
Stripping paint is a tough job, even for a pressure washer.
The pressure washers that proved exceptional were presented one last challenge: a clogged gutter. This gutter wasn't clogged with leaves but a man-made pseudo-sandstone created by mixing sand and flour. We tested to see if it could blast through without damaging the gutter.
Strong candidates were given the additional test of cleaning a clogged gutter.
We also tested each device’s soap cleaning feature. We filled each soap intake tank or bottle with a pint of generic pressure washer detergent mixed with water, got a feel for how uniform the soap spray was, and noted how long the suds lasted.
We tested pressure washers by blasting mud and paint.
Pressure washers are not the same as power washers. The major difference between the two is that power washers heat up water to aid in cleaning. Typically, the best power washers are specialists and are reserved to remove mold, mildew, and heavy-duty stains like oil.
PSI: Pounds per square inch is the overall amount of power each pressure washer can put out. GPM: Gallons per minute measures the water flow rate
If the exterior of your house is made of hardboard, rock-dash, bottle-dash, or similar material, you should avoid pressure washing your walls. For safety’s sake, you should remember to cover any outdoor outlets, avoid using ladders while operating a pressure washer, and be wary of debris falling off your home or being kicked up off the ground.
We suggest you start with the 25- or 40-degree tip of the pressure washer for cleaning siding. You should start washing from top to bottom, in order to more efficiently deal with falling grime.
When you start your pressure washer, stand about three feet away from your target, and move toward it, as needed. This way, you’ll avoid applying too much pressure and damaging the surface you're trying to clean.
Pressure washers can damage lawns and shrubbery. So when you’re pressure washing walkways and patios, cover your delicate plants with plastic sheeting or drop cloths. You'll need to be careful and avoid outdoor furniture as well, although some cushions may fare OK using one.
While pressure washers have motors, a strong and even flow is required for them to work. One of the best garden hoses we’ve tested should do the trick.
Most of the best pressure washers feature some type of detergent loading system.
Always read the owner’s manual to see what each model recommends. Beyond that, most pressure washer detergents come in the form of concentrates. That means you premix the solution with water before you place it into the unit.
This also means you should wear protective gloves while handling the cleaning solution.
There are some guides out there that suggest making a bleach solution for dealing with mold. We would not recommend that. Bleach is pretty toxic and having it splattered everywhere will not do you or your yard any favors.
Many hardware stores, like The Home Depot provide pressure washers to rent. For one-time jobs, it can totally be worth it.
For example, if you’re planning on giving your house a once-over before putting it on the market, renting a pressure washer might be a good idea. However, if you’re settled in and planning on doing some cleaning every spring and summer, owning a pressure washer will pay for itself.
Electric pressure washers are fairly simple to winterize. All you need to do is drain all the hoses and detergent tanks. To drain the hoses, detach them, unroll them, and hold them up—all the water should drain out.
Detergent tanks are also fairly simple. You can clean them out by simply flushing them out with a hose. Just be sure to let them dry out before storage. If you store your pressure washer in the basement, you can place it near a low-powered space heater to prevent any freezing.
If you live in a colder climate, you may also opt to fill the unit with anti-freeze designed for small pumps.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
Nick Bove is a journalist and broadcaster based out of Boston. He's currently a public address announcer at Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern, and is breaking into the voiceover industry. He's also lent his voice as a professional hockey broadcaster and news anchor for NBC News Radio. When he isn't speaking into a microphone, he's probably on a long hike or daydreaming of being the next Bob Costas.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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