There are few things more satisfying than pressure washing your driveway (just ask the internet). But deciding which is the best pressure washer to buy to clean your deck, car, pavers and beyond can be a bit tricky. I tested seven pressure washers and the simple but effective Sun Joe SPX XT1 won as best pressure washer overall. It&#;s an electric model, and it&#;s all you need if you live in a residential area with a small-ish yard. If you need to clean more space or bigger messes, go for the Generac E-Start, the best gas pressure washer. (For more on the winners, read my in-depth Sun Joe SPX XT1 review and Generac E-Start review).
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These are the best pressure washers I found after testing 6 gas and elecric options out on my car, ... [+] driveway, pavers and more.
Photos: Retailers / Illustration: ForbesThe following is a list of all the winners from my testing process:
You can choose from electric or gas-powered pressure washers, or you could even opt for a power washer, which uses pressurized steam instead. Your choice depends on what kind of project you need to tackle. An electric pressure washer has lower PSI, which means less overall power, but it&#;s more than enough for most homeowners&#; projects, like cleaning brick, masonry or concrete. A gas-powered pressure washer, on the other hand, is more useful for big messes or large areas.
Amazon
Power Source: Electric | PSI: 2,200 | GPM: 1.65 | Total cleaning Units: 3,630 | Power-to-weight: 128 cleaning units/pound
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For the average homeowner who wants to wash their car, clear dirt off the siding of their house and dig out all the gunk in between 30-year-old pavers, the Sun Joe SPX XT1 is the best pressure washer for the job. It&#;s the most versatile of any pressure washer I tested, costs nearly half the price of others and has a good power-to-weight ratio, making it light but effective.
At 2,200 PSI, the Sun Joe offers less PSI than most of the other washers I tested; but according to the experts I spoke with, it&#;s more than enough power for the average homeowner. Weighing about half what its wheelbarrow-style and gas-powered competitors do, it&#;s also incredibly light&#;just 28 pounds with a suitcase orientation&#;which means you can pull it along behind you more easily than most of the other washers in the line-up. Many experts measure pressure washer power by calculating its power-to-weight ratio. By this measure, the Sun Joe&#;s light weight, paired with decent power, makes it more effective at cleaning overall, even compared to competitors with higher PSI.
The Sun Joe won as the best pressure washer in my testing thanks to its light weight, power and ... [+] versatility.
Jenni GrittersThe Sun Joe was the easiest to build of any pressure washer I tested, with the fewest amount of parts to add to the main body of the washer. The instructions were clear and simple, and it took around 10 minutes to build (the Kärcher, my other favorite electric pressure washer, took more like 30 minutes to build). Out of the box, the Sun Joe continued to impress: All five nozzle options are stored on the front of the machine, clearly indicated with both color and wording, which is fairly standard. But while most systems require two hands to change nozzles, with the chance that you&#;ll pinch your fingers in the mechanism if you don&#;t use both hands, the Sun Joe only requires one hand. This allows your dominant hand to continue holding the trigger handle in its normal use position, saving some time (and the skin on your fingertips).
The Sun Joe&#;s detergent system also beat the competition. Almost all pressure washers allow you to use soap with the water, which is helpful when you&#;re trying to remove big messes, like grease or oil stains on concrete. The Sun Joe has a great detergent system: Rather than emitting detergent from an onboard tank with extra tubing (the standard set-up), the Sun Joe&#;s detergent mechanism just snaps onto the end of the steel lance (the wand you use to wash) without requiring you to switch to a different mode. The Sun Joe also includes two brushes, which are a nice touch. They&#;re easy to attach, and you can use them to loosen dirt before blasting it off with water. I found that they helped get some of the gunk out from under the wheel wells of my car.
The Sun Joe is an electric pressure washer, and the motor completely turns off when you&#;re not actively washing, like a hybrid car. This saves your eardrums, wallet and power consumption, which is a big reason to buy an electric washer over a gas-powered one.
The Sun Joe does have a few downsides: It comes with a 35-foot power cord, and its 20-foot hose is the shortest in the bunch, which limits your freedom of movement (the electric Ryobi or Greenworks, by comparison, have 25-foot hoses). However, the Sun Joe&#;s light weight makes it easier to pick up and move around while using it, like walking around with a vacuum cleaner. The shorter power cord is also a bit of a pain. After some research, I found that manufacturers don&#;t recommend using an extra power cord, but out in the field, many users opt for extension cords with the right safety considerations and knowledge of what to buy.
Sun Joe offers a two-year, limited warranty that covers the product from the original purchase date, as long as the machine is used for household and not commercial or industrial use. You also can&#;t use it as a rental unit, or you void the warranty. Using the wrong extension cord or hose will also void the warranty.
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Generac
Power Source: Gas | PSI: 3,100 | GPM: 2.5 | Cleaning Units: 7,750 | Power-to-Weight: 133 cleaning units/pound
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If power is one of your chief concerns when buying a pressure washer, the gas-powered Generac E-Start is the best gas pressure washer you can get. The E-Start strikes the best balance between professional-level cleaning with accessibility to homeowners, too (several of the landscaping professionals I spoke with use Generac washers). It offers the power of a gas washer with an electric, button-press starter, similar to many modern cars. The rechargeable battery in the push-start comes with a charging station and is good for 50 starts on one charge, allowing you to cover large areas at a time. And gas-powered washers offer much more freedom of movement compared to electric pressure washers, because you don&#;t have to plug them in. It&#;s worth noting, though, that gas-powered pressure washers require more maintenance than electric pressure washers.
As with the top pick, I looked at more than PSI and GPM in terms of power. At 7,750 total cleaning units, the Generac is less powerful than its gas-powered competitors, the Westinghouse and the Simpson, but it&#;s also lighter than both of those, too. At 58 pounds (vs. 65 and 66 pounds, respectively), the E-Start has a power-to-weight rating of 133 cleaning units per pound. By this metric, Generac beats out all of its gas competitors for power. And you&#;ll really notice the lighter weight of the Generac when you&#;re lifting the washer from the bed of a truck or moving the system around the area where you&#;re working.
The Generac E-Start was the easiest to build of the gas contenders I tested. The instructions were easy to follow and had the least number of steps compared to the other gas contenders, taking only around 15 minutes to fully assemble. My only complaint was that the setup for the detergent system was completely omitted from the directions, so I had to figure it out on my own.
The Generac was far more powerful than the Sun Joe in testing; I was able to clean large sections of pavement more quickly, with a wider and more powerful stream of water. However, the battery start didn&#;t work the first time around, and I had to resort to the recoil (pull) starter to get the machine running the first time. (This is likely due to it being the first run of the system since it was tested by the manufacturer.) But after this hiccup, the battery-powered start function worked like a charm. The recoil start is a bit arduous to use (picture someone trying to pull-start a lawnmower, throwing an arm into the air over and over again), so I far preferred the button-start feature.
The Generac was a clear winner, compared to the Sun Joe, when it came to freedom of movement. Electric pressure washers require a power cord; gas washers can be taken nearly anywhere. You still have to maintain a tether to your water supply, but long hoses are easy to come by.
The Generac is much louder than all of the electric-powered options I tested, and it was in the middle of the pack, noise-wise, when it came to the gas-powered washers. The Generac&#;s nozzles were also slightly disorganized; every other washer contained an easy-to-read demarcation system showing each nozzle&#;s width or use (0 degrees, 15, 25 and 40 degrees, soap, etc), which the Generac lacked. With four nozzles to the competitors&#; five, the Generac had a bit less versatility in the styles of water stream. More nozzles mean you can tackle a wider range of projects.
The added cleaning power of the Generac (7,750 cleaning units to the Sun Joe&#;s 3,630) comes with a price, of course: More power equals more noise, more cost and more maintenance. (Check out my notes below on maintaining the engine of a gas-powered machine.) The Generac is also the most expensive washer that I tested, more than double the cost of the Sun Joe. But you do get what you pay for. Those extra dollars are going toward the dual-start system in a machine that&#;s a 10 to 15 percent lighter with the corresponding higher power-to-weight rating.
Generac&#;s warranty differs from Sun Joe in covered time and use cases. The three-year warranty is only for non-commercial use, but the system also includes a 90-day warranty with the same protections for commercial and professional use. (This is a testament to the fact that most gas pressure washers are designed for those in the landscaping and commercial cleaning businesses.) &#;Normal wear and tear&#; is not covered, as is standard, but defects due to workmanship and material are included. Generac will replace or repair your unit at no charge, as long as the system is within this three-year (non-commercial) or 90-day (professional) window.
I tested four other products that didn&#;t make the cut.
Kärcher K5 Premium K5 Electric Pressure Washer: While it&#;s not as good as the Sun Joe, the Kärcher K5 is worth an honorable mention. It offers a premium electric system that excels at detail work. It&#;s lightweight and versatile, and you can operate it one-handed. It was also one of the simplest pressure washers to use. But the connection between my garden hose and the K5 was leaky, which wasn&#;t an issue for any of the other washers I tried. This was still an issue even after multiple checks and a different hose configuration.
Ryobi Tools PSI 1.1 GPM: I liked this system for its innovative single-nozzle system, which rotates for different power levels, and its longer 35-foot hose. But it&#;s loud for an electric washer, and it had a lower power-to-weight ratio than the winner.
Greenworks Brushless: Identical to the Ryobi in terms of power, the Greenworks had similar issues with noise and weight, while costing the same as more powerful gas washers at $450.
Simpson MegaShot MSH: Although it&#;s more powerful and $40 cheaper than my gas pick, that power gain comes with annoyances such as the lack of an onboard detergent tank (which means using an unattached bottle for soap). The assembly was also a mess.
Westinghouse WPX: This showed up with a cracked nozzle. Although it was easy to build, it ended up being the loudest of the washers by far. When I wasn&#;t actively washing, the Westinghouse rattled so violently that the whole machine danced across my driveway. It is incredibly powerful, but I still couldn&#;t recommend this washer, given the perks of the Generac.
A pressure washer is a water pump powered by an electric or gas motor. These machines take ordinary tap water from your hose and accelerate it to a high enough speed that it can remove paint, mold, dirt, mud, dust and other materials from all kinds of surfaces. Typically, you use a trigger gun or lance to direct the water at your cleaning target.
To find the best pressure washer, I tested 6 options on dirt-covered patches of my driveway as well ... [+] as on pavers and my car.
Jenni GrittersTo test pressure washers, I spent nearly a dozen hours studying up on pressure washers. I spoke with experts including Darren Littledeer, the owner of Green Pressure Wash in Bend, Oregon; Tsai Lu Liu, the department head of graphic design and industrial design at NC State University; and Gus Alexander, the owner of the FNA group, which manufactures pressure washers.
I learned about PSI (pounds per square inch, a measurement of power), GPM (gallons per minute, which measures how much water a washer uses) and how those combine to determine &#;total cleaning units,&#; a measure of how effective a pressure washer is (usually calculated by multiplying PSI by GPM). I also read dozens of reviews of pressure washers, spoke with several experts to figure out what a residential homeowner or renter might need and worked through the many upsides and downsides of opting for gas or electric systems.
Then I ordered seven different pressure washers&#;four electric, three gas&#;assembled them, and put them to work. I tested the lineup in my yard, cleaning sets of pavers and dirt-covered segments of the driveway. I also pressure-washed the sides of my house, and used several electric options to clean my cars.
Eventually, I narrowed the list down to a few of the best options, which I then put to use around town, offering to pressure-wash friends&#; driveways. It was a muddy, damp, fun few weeks.
When you&#;re picking a pressure washer, here are the features you&#;ll need to consider:
PSI measures &#;pounds per square inch&#; of water. Most experts say the ideal PSI for residential users is between 1,800 and 2,000, with 3,000 being the max you&#;d want for a smaller space. (A garden hose, for reference, is about 40 PSI.) Be aware that a washer with a higher PSI, especially one with a smaller, thinner nozzle, will emit a fine-point stream of water that can actually remove paint or cut up your pavement.
&#;Pressure cuts the dirt and grime, and proper water flow continues to push the dirt and grime away from the surface,&#; says Gus Alexander, the owner of the FNA group, which manufactures pressure washers. &#;Therefore the combination of the two is paramount to the proper cleaning effect on the surface.&#;
When shopping for the best pressure washer for you, consider whether you want a gas or electric ... [+] model.
Jenni GrittersIf you live in a place where water consumption is a consideration, you may want to look at how much water your pressure washer uses per minute, measured in GPM (gallons per minute). PSI pushes the dirt from the surface, and GPM gets rid of it by moving it to the side.
Multiply PSI and GPM, and you&#;ll get &#;cleaning units&#; (CU), which gives you the total power of a pressure washer. That number tells you much more about effectiveness than PSI or GPM alone!
Gas-powered washers offer stronger pressure than electric, and they&#;re more portable. Most of the professional landscapers and pressure washers I spoke with said that they would only use a gas washer; they&#;re better at handling big messes and large areas. They also let you do big jobs in half the time, but they&#;re louder, heavier and trickier to set up. You can bring them anywhere (they don&#;t need to be plugged in), but they require trips to the gas station, and the motor has to be maintained and repaired more often.
Based on my research, electric-powered pressure washers are becoming much more popular. In fact, several of the brands that used to make popular gas options, like Ryobi, are now entirely focused on producing electric pressure washers. These are typically quieter and smaller, producing less pressure but still offering more than adequate cleaning power for most residential users. They&#;re also easier to set up, because you only need to plug them in. And the fact that they use electricity, not fossil fuels, can lower your carbon footprint. But electric pressure washers are also limited by their power cords, so you can&#;t take them as many places and big jobs will take longer.
Darren Littledeer, the owner of Green Pressure Wash in Bend, Oregon, describes the differences this way: &#;Gas-powered is gonna have a higher GPM rate and higher PSI rate. Electric tends to be primarily for just good rinsing-off projects!&#;
Most people living in places with smaller yards will find an electric pressure washer to be more than enough. But if you think you&#;ll be pressure washing constantly, if you live on an acre of land (like I do) and have a long driveway, or you know you need to clean up a huge mess, opt for a gas pressure washer (or rent one).
Of all the features of a pressure washer, the spray wand makes the most difference in your cleaning experience. There are metal or plastic wands, and while metal is more durable, most of the washers I tried had plastic wands (as a case in point, the Westinghouse wand cracked during shipping). Each wand comes with several nozzles or removable tips with widths that vary from 0 to 40 degrees, and your choice of nozzle tip determines the flow of water.
Depending on where you live, you&#;ll find that the size and weight of the washer make a huge difference. All of them have wheels and can be lifted either wheelbarrow-style (like the Greenworks) or suitcase-style (more upright). Gas-powered washers are heavier than electric washers because they contain motors. Consider the weight, size and maneuverability of a pressure washer before buying it; it should match your fitness level and lifestyle.
&#;Make sure you understand how ergonomic [the pressure washer is],&#; says Tsai Lu Liu, the department head of graphic design and industrial design at NC State University. Liu has helped to design pressure washers (and many other products) for major manufacturers. Liu recommends that consumers pay attention to design features like hand-grips and handles to make sure that the power washer is comfortable and easy for them to use.
The best pressure washer should be usable in a number of different situations: patios, roofs, cars and more. If you&#;re buying (rather than renting) a pressure washer, you should be able to use it on wood, ceramic, brick, cement, asphalt, stone, paint or metal and aluminum.
A good pressure washer will have a solid warranty built into its price of purchase. Pressure washers are big pieces of equipment, and gas-powered washers in particular need more maintenance, according to the manufacturers of the pressure washers I tested. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on regular maintenance.
I&#;m a freelance journalist who&#;s been writing product reviews and gear guides for more than a decade. I&#;ve spent most of this time focused on outdoor gear, parenting and kid products, and I have written for Wirecutter, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, and Forbes Vetted, among others.
For this guide, I coupled my experience testing outdoor gear with new homeownership. Last year, my husband, Sean, and I moved onto an acre of land in Bend, Oregon, with our two children. I quickly got to work taming brush, cleaning surfaces and planting a garden on land that hasn&#;t been maintained well for at least five years. In short, I had a lot that needed to be pressure washed.
Renting a pressure washer (at The Home Depot, for example) costs from $35 to $70 per day or $140 to $300 per week. So if you think you'll use a pressure washer more than a few times over the course of a few years, it's worth it to buy one.
Not really. You could use an air compressor, which shoots out air at high velocities, but that doesn&#;t have enough PSI to move most debris in the same way that a pressure washer can. They do market air compressors toward homeowners with larger projects, and although the lack of water means less mess, the lack of pressure makes air compressors generally less effective for outdoor projects.
The gas tanks are small (less than a gallon) in most pressure washers, and you can get a gas can from the gas station when the tank runs empty. That said, gas pressure washers also need maintenance because they contain a small engine that needs to be oiled. Unless you&#;re out using your pressure washer at least a couple of times a month, the machine will likely be stored in your shed, truck or garage.
As long as they&#;re protected from extreme temperatures and the elements, electric washers will start right up at a moment's notice, even months after their last use. This is not necessarily the case for gas-powered systems. Unlike your car, which you probably drive more than once a month, you need to add fuel stabilizer to your gas pressure washer to store it for long periods of time between uses.
A fuel stabilizer is a combination of petroleum products that, when added to gasoline, bonds with the fuel and prevents its evaporation. Left to its own devices, this vapor will eventually form a sticky, tar-like resin throughout the engine, ruining the carburetor (the device that controls how air and fuel mix) and destroying the whole system. Using a fuel stabilizer allows you to store an engine without needing to drain the fuel each time.
Don&#;t worry, though: Using a fuel stabilizer is as easy as using gasoline. A little of this liquid, which is very cheap and can be found at your local auto parts store, goes a long way. Just one ounce can treat 2.5 gallons of unleaded gasoline. Simply measure out how much you need based on the size of your gas tank, add the stabilizer to your gas can, and mix well. Most manufacturers recommend running the engine for a couple of minutes to allow maximum effect.
Earplugs and eyewear! Pressure washers are loud, and debris can fly into your eyes.
Ultimately, the key to choosing the right pressure washer is to match the machine's specifications to the tasks you'll be performing most frequently, ensuring you have the right balance of power and efficiency for your needs.
You should also consider the water flow pressure, which is measured in pounds per square inch (psi), and the flow rate, measured in gallons per minute (gpm). As a general rule, pressure washers with higher psi and gpm clean faster and better, but don't automatically assume that the highest power is always the best. As we discovered during our testing sessions, it can be very easy to damage surfaces by using too much water pressure.
Easy to use and maintain, a plug-in electric model is a great choice for basic outdoor cleaning tasks. However, according to Tommy Mello, DIY expert and CEO of A1 Garage Door Service , a gas pressure washer offers higher cleaning power needed for tougher tasks, such as removing paint or graffiti from hard surfaces. They also don't require access to an electric outlet or dealing with an extension cord.
Over the past two years, we've put 34 different pressure washers through their paces at our own homes. We used them to clean just about everything commonly found around the exterior of a home, including siding, patios, concrete driveways , fences, automobiles, outdoor furniture, and railings. We conducted tests on both gas and electric pressure washers to assess their effectiveness at blasting away all manners of grime, grunge, and stains without using more water than necessary.
Best Overall
Ryobi PSI 1.2 GPM Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
The Home Depot
$135 at Amazon
$149 at Home Depot
What We Like
Compact and lightweight
Very effective performance
Simple assembly
Easy to use
What We Don't Like
Only includes three nozzles
Not for the heaviest tasks such as removing paint
The best overall pressure washer we tested is the Ryobi PSI 1.2 GPM Cold Water Wheeled Corded Electric Pressure Washer. With a maximum pressure of 1,900 psi and a top flow rate of 1.2 gpm, it's not the most powerful machine, but it certainly impressed us with its ability to wash away all types of stains and grime from common surfaces around the home. During testing, we quickly found out that it has more than enough power to blast away all manner of grunge; even the oldest, darkest stains were gone in moments.
We started our tests by washing a concrete porch that hadn't been cleaned in years and had a hearty buildup of algae, pollen stains, and general grime. Using the high-power spray tip and an all-purpose pressure washer soap, we were amazed at how quickly and easily the concrete came clean.
Next, we turned to a set of dirty metal stair railings. We started with the same high-power spray tip but quickly realized it was using too much pressure and was actually removing the paint. Once we swapped the tip for a lower-power option, though, we had no further problems, and the railings were shiny-clean in just 10 minutes. Finally, we turned to stucco siding. Using the low-power spray tip and the all-purpose soap, we removed layers of dust and grime within 10 minutes to reveal the clean surface beneath.
This is a compact pressure washer that's easy to wheel around, has a telescoping handle for comfortable maneuvering, and doesn't take up a lot of storage space. We love its onboard detergent tank and how nicely it's designed to store the 25-foot hose, spray wand, three spray nozzles (turbo, soap, and 15-degree), and 35-foot power cord right on the top and sides of the machine.
Compared to many other pressure washers, this unit is very quiet and starts right up at the press of a button. Swapping out the nozzles was very easy, and overall, it was a pretty straightforward unit to use. Additionally, the product is very reasonably priced, which further cements its position at the top of our recommendations for anyone who wants a pressure washer at home to take on common tasks.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 1,900 psi | Max. GPM: 1.2 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Three | Weight: 21 pounds | Hose Length: 35 feet
The Spruce / Dylan Thompson
The Spruce / Dylan Thompson
The Spruce / Dylan Thompson
The Spruce / Dylan Thompson
Best Budget
Sun Joe Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
Sun Joe
$76 at Amazon
$199 at Lowe's
View on Snowjoe.com
What We Like
Lightweight
Compact for easy storage
Budget-friendly
What We Don't Like
Plastic wheels instead of rubber
Not suited to heavy-duty cleaning
Pressure washers can be expensive, but we found the reasonably priced Sun Joe Electric Pressure Washer to be a great option for anyone looking to keep costs down yet still get a pressure washer with enough power to carry out common around-the-property cleaning tasks. We tested the pressure washer on a wooden fence, a car, and a concrete walkway. In each case, it did a very good job of removing dirt, bird droppings, stains, decomposing yard waste, and other unpleasant grunge, and we experienced no damage to nearby surfaces.
With a maximum pressure of 2,030 psi and a top water flow of 1.2 gpm, this isn't the most powerful pressure washer on our list, but it definitely handled all of the tasks we asked of it. While we did find it a bit tricky to initially assemble, it was very easy to operate once it was up and running, and we appreciated its relatively quiet performance.
This compact, lightweight model even has a feature we didn't find on any of our other tested units; instead of just one onboard soap tank (some pressure washers don't even have one), this one has dual tanks, so you can have two different types of soap available for specialized cleaning tasks like washing cars, patio furniture, or windows.
The two large wheels and upright design made this pressure washer very easy to maneuver; we rolled it over grass and uneven ground with no difficulty or tipping. It comes with a 20-foot hose and 35-foot power cord, which gave us plenty of room to move about during our cleaning sessions.
The pressure is not adjustable, but by choosing the appropriate tip out of the five included&#;0 degrees, 15 degrees, 25 degrees, 40 degrees, and soap&#;as well as adjusting the distance you stand from whatever you are cleaning, you can tailor the pressure to the surface being washed. And once you are done, the onboard storage for the nozzles and cord, as well as the compact design, make this pressure washer easy to store until the next time you need it.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 2,030 psi | Max. GPM: 1.2 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Five | Weight: 24 pounds | Hose Length: 20 feet
The Spruce / Kelly Hodgkins
Best Gas
Simpson CM Clean Machine PSI Gas Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
Amazon
$380 at Amazon
$380 at Home Depot
View on Farmandfleet.com
What We Like
Very powerful
Easy to assemble and operate
What We Don't Like
No onboard soap tank
As is common with gas pressure washers, this is a powerful machine with a maximum pressure of 3,400 psi and a top water flow of 2.5 gpm. That makes it ideal for tackling tough jobs on large surfaces but perhaps not as well suited to more delicate tasks like washing cars, windows, or outdoor furniture. We started our testing session with a concrete patio that had accumulated a lot of pollen and dust, but removing that was no match for a powerful machine like this one.
Next, we turned to a very dirty and stained concrete driveway. Using just water and the high-pressure nozzle, it took us only 20 minutes to restore the entire driveway to its former glory. Finally, we used the siphon tube to draw soap from its container&#;there is no onboard soap dispenser on this pressure washer&#;and blasted the side of the house free from mold, dirt, and general grime. Throughout all of our tests, the pressure washer maintained a steady high pressure, yet it never damaged any surfaces, such as paint or coatings.
Unlike many other gas pressure washers we tested, we found this one to be very straightforward to assemble and get up and running. In fact, it took us only 10 minutes to have it out of the box and ready to go. And to our great pleasure, that user-friendliness continued throughout our tests, as it was very easy to adjust settings and swap out the four hose nozzles, which include a 0-degree, 15-degree, 40-degree, and soap nozzle. We also appreciated the very sturdy frame and large wheels, which helped us roll the 63-pound machine to wherever we needed it.
Another feature that scored this pressure washer high marks is the maintenance-free pump, meaning you'll never have to add or change oil to the pump, as you do with many other gas pressure washers. You do still need to carry out periodic oil changes on the engine, however, and of course you'll need to occasionally top off the tank with unleaded gasoline. The machine has a 25-foot high-pressure hose.
Power Source: Gas | Max. Pressure: 3,400 psi | Max. GPM: 2.5 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Four | Weight: 63 pounds | Hose Length: 25 feet
For more information, please visit Portable Valve Grinding.
The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto
The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto
The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto
The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto
Best Electric
Greenworks -PSI Brushless Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
Amazon
$450 at Amazon
$399 at Lowe's
View on Greenworks
What We Like
Very powerful
Stores vertically
Large onboard detergent tank
What We Don't Like
Some nozzles are too powerful for some surfaces
For those who prefer not to handle the heaviness and upkeep associated with a gas pressure washer, we recommend this electric model from Greenworks. For one of our testing sessions, we used this pressure washer to tackle a wooden deck that hadn&#;t been thoroughly cleaned in three years; we&#;re talking thick dirt and grime, as well as fallen leaves and garden debris. Less than 20 minutes later, our deck looked great&#;we were highly impressed with how quickly and easily this pressure washer blasted away the grunge.
However, it&#;s worth noting that we first used the highest-pressure nozzle, which was so powerful that it actually slightly damaged the wood. Once we switched to a lower-pressure nozzle, it was all smooth sailing. Electric pressure washers like this one are ideal for the typical around-the-house cleaning projects undertaken by the average DIYer, such as hosing down a grungy driveway, cleaning outdoor furniture, or even getting the exterior of your home ready to paint.
We also tested the pressure washer on our driveway. We liked the 35-foot power cord and 25-foot water hose, which together gave us plenty of room to maneuver. This pressure washer comes with five nozzles&#;soap dispensing, 15-degree, 25-degree, 40-degree, and turbo. While all of them performed well, we found that the extra cleaning power of the turbo nozzle made the biggest difference in removing grunge and stains from the pavement.
There&#;s an onboard soap tank, which comes in handy for projects like washing cars or boats. With a maximum of 3,000 psi of water pressure at a top flow of 2.0 gpm, this is a powerful tool that&#;s able to handle even tough cleaning projects around your property or business. Thanks to its two back wheels, it's also easy to move around, and once you finish cleaning, it stores vertically for less foot space.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 3,000 psi | Max. GPM: 2.0 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Five | Weight: 53 pounds | Hose Length: 25 feet
The Spruce / Anna Knief
The Spruce / Anna Knief
Best Portable
DEWALT PSI Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
Amazon
$299 at Amazon
$299 at Home Depot
View on Acmetools.com
What We Like
Compact and lightweight
Onboard soap dispenser
Very easy to assemble and operate
What We Don't Like
Pressure dropped a few times during use
No onboard storage for the hose
We chose the DEWALT Electric Pressure Washer as our best compact pressure washer for two reasons: the small wheels make it easy to move around, and at only 24 pounds (the second lightest on our list), we could quickly pick it up and carry it to where we intended to use it. For our first testing session, we cleaned a concrete patio that hadn't been washed in several years. The pressure washer did an excellent job of removing all grunge and stains, even without using soap.
We also washed an SUV that had a heavy layer of pollen and dust. This time, we added soap to the onboard dispenser and switched to a lower-power nozzle. In just 20 minutes, we had a clean and shiny car. Finally, we used the pressure washer to clean off the stucco siding of a house, and again, we were very impressed with how easily the machine blasted away all manner of grunge.
Switching nozzles when necessary was easy: Simply pause the water flow, remove the current nozzle, and replace it with the preferred one. The pressure washer includes four nozzles: turbo, soap, 15 degrees, and 40 degrees. Plus, with a 25-foot hose and 35-foot power cord, it allows plenty of room to maneuver. Even better, it took us just 5 minutes to assemble the device, and we found it very easy to operate.
Our only issue with the pressure washer during multiple uses was that four separate times during three hours of testing, the pressure weakened while using the turbo nozzle. However, it soon returned to its previous level, and we didn't find the performance to be much affected. The maximum pressure of the machine is 2,100 psi, and its peak flow rate is 1.2 gpm, which is ideal for most typical uses around the home, such as cleaning decks, patios, driveways, cars, house exteriors, outdoor furniture, and windows. This isn't powerful enough to remove paint or graffiti, however.
We do wish that there was an onboard storage spot for the hose; it does have onboard storage for the power cord, nozzles, and wand. But that wasn't a major issue, as overall, this pressure washer is quite easy to store, thanks to its compact design. When moving it from place to place, the telescoping handle and sturdy frame make it very easy to handle.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 2,100 psi | Max. GPM: 1.2 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Four | Weight: 24 pounds | Hose Length: 25 feet
The Spruce
The Spruce
The Spruce
The Spruce
Best for Patios and Decks
Greenworks -PSI Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
Amazon
$182 at Amazon
$173 at Walmart
$219 at Lowe's
What We Like
11-inch surface cleaning attachment
Very effective performance
Easy to maneuver and to store
What We Don't Like
Instruction manual is not very clear
No onboard detergent tank
The Greenworks stood out among the other pressure washers we tested for its 11-inch surface cleaner, making short work of stubborn stains on wide, flat surfaces like driveways, patios, and fences. With the attachment, we were able to blast away all manner of dirt and grime from our driveway, house siding, and wooden fence. By the time we were finished, the fence looked like new, and we had even removed an old, stubborn rust stain from the driveway. Of course, that&#;s not the only attachment; you also get a cleaning wand, a soap nozzle, a 25-degree nozzle, and a 40-degree nozzle.
We also used the pressure washer to clean an exceptionally dirty car, and in just 20 minutes, we had a shiny automobile with no more bugs, bird droppings, dust, dirt, or tree sap marring its appearance. However, we do wish that this model had a built-in soap dispenser instead of a small hose to drop into a separate bottle of detergent.
This electric pressure washer has a 35-foot power cord and a 20-foot hose, along with two back wheels and a light but sturdy frame that makes it easy to get the machine wherever you want to clean. At a maximum pressure of 2,000 psi and a top flow rate of 1.1 gpm, it&#;s not the most powerful pressure washer out there, but it&#;s more than sufficient for typical cleaning tasks, and we were very impressed with its performance.
On the downside, the included instructions weren&#;t as clear as we would have liked, especially regarding the use of the soap pick-up hose. Still, it wasn&#;t too tough to figure out, and we had the machine up and running very quickly. It&#;s easy to switch the settings when transitioning between projects, and for a pressure washer, it is fairly quiet as well.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 2,000 psi | Max. GPM: 1.1 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Four | Weight: 35 pounds | Hose Length: 20 feet
The Spruce / Anna Knief
Best for Concrete
DEWALT Gas Pressure Washer Powered by Honda
PHOTO:
MAXTool
$1,379 at Home Depot
View on Maxtool.com
$1,330 at Pressurewashersdirect.com
What We Like
Tremendous power
High-performance Honda engine
Large pneumatic wheels
What We Don't Like
Tricky to assemble
No onboard detergent tank
Not every task calls for the power of this commercial-level gas-powered pressure washer from DEWALT, but if you need to blast away graffiti from concrete or brick or clean stains away from concrete driveways or walkways, then you&#;ll appreciate this beast as much as we did. The maximum pressure is a whopping 4,000 psi with a maximum flow rate of 4.0 gpm (the most on our list), but of course, you can dial the pressure way down when desired. Along with cleaning a concrete patio and the sidings of a house, we also used the pressure washer to hose down some dirty outdoor furniture. In each case, dirt, grime, and other grunge blasted away almost immediately.
There are five included nozzles&#;0, 15, 25, and 40 degrees, along with a soap nozzle&#;and they are easy to swap out as needed. The spray head is comfortable to hold and didn&#;t wear out our hands. Like all gas pressure washers, this one is loud but not significantly noisier than similar models. We do wish it had an onboard soap dispenser rather than a tube that draws detergent out of the separate container.
We did find it somewhat time-consuming and difficult to assemble the pressure washer initially; we found the online videos to be more helpful than the included written instructions for clarifying how to assemble the machine and add oil. However, once it was all put together, we liked how easy it was to maneuver on its 13-inch pneumatic tires, and with the included 50-foot high-pressure hose, just about anything was within reach.
You&#;ll need to have a supply of unleaded gasoline on hand to fuel up the pressure washer, along with oil for the engine and the pump. Since this pressure washer has a 4-stroke engine, you won&#;t need to mix oil with the gas, but you will need to carry out periodic oil changes.
Power Source: Gas | Max. Pressure: 4,000 psi | Max. GPM: 4.0 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Five | Weight: 140 pounds | Hose Length: 50 feet
The Spruce / Anna Knief
Best for Cars
Ryobi PSI 1.1 GPM Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
The Home Depot
$349 at Home Depot
$538 at Walmart
What We Like
5-in-1 nozzle
Hand-cart design with large wheels
Onboard soap tank
Excellent power
What We Don't Like
On highest pressure, might damage surfaces if not used carefully
There's no need to head to the car wash when you have an electric pressure washer as effective as this one from Ryobi. We used it to clean an SUV that hadn't been washed in months and was heavily coated with multiple layers of dust. Thanks to this easy-to-use pressure washer, we had the entire car, including the wheels and windows, shining like new in just 20 minutes.
Unlike many other pressure washers, this one has a 5-in-1 spray nozzle that can be turned to settings of 15 degrees, 25 degrees, 40 degrees, fan soap, or jet soap. (It also comes with a turbo nozzle for high-pressure cleaning.) That made car washing even easier, as we adjusted the settings as we worked to rinse, soap, and rinse again without having to swap out nozzles. We also appreciated the onboard soap tank; this is a particularly great feature when washing cars or outdoor furniture.
Of course, you can use this pressure washer for more than just cleaning your car. We also used it to clean a very dirty flagstone patio. On the highest pressure setting, grime and debris were soon gone, although we found that it was important not to stay focused on one spot for too long, as otherwise, the pressure was high enough to damage the flagstone.
We then turned to a cement slab that hadn't been cleaned in a year, but again, it was quickly looking nearly as good as new. During all of these tests, we were thrilled with how easy it was to use the pressure washer, but most of all, we loved its hand-cart design, which made it so easy to wheel wherever we wanted it; we even maneuvered it up and down stairs without a struggle. As the pressure washer weighs 50 pounds, that was a very welcome feature.
This machine has a maximum pressure of 2,700 psi and a top water flow of 1.1 gpm. Both the hose and the power cord are 35 feet long, which means you can reach quite a ways around your property without having to use an extension cord. Once the cleaning is done, there's onboard storage for all of the accessories, which makes it easier and tidier to store the pressure washer.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 2,700 psi | Max. GPM: 1.1 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Two | Weight: 50 pounds | Hose Length: 35 feet
The Spruce / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
The Spruce / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
The Spruce / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
The Spruce / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
The Spruce / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
The Spruce / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
Best for Beginners
Sun Joe SPX Brushless Induction Electric Pressure Washer
PHOTO:
Amazon
$334 at Amazon
$247 at Home Depot
$247 at Lowe's
What We Like
Easy to assemble and use
Onboard soap tank
Onboard storage
What We Don't Like
No pressure control
Relatively short hose
If you've never used a pressure washer before, these machines can be somewhat intimidating. However, we found this electric model from Sun Joe to be fairly easy to assemble and even easier to operate. There's no confusion over lots of settings and buttons; this one merely has an On/Off button and a dial to adjust the amount of soap dispensed if you are using the onboard soap container. We also found it well-designed for maneuvering around the yard; we rolled it over brick, grass, dirt, and wood without any difficulties.
Of course, even a user-friendly pressure washer isn't useful without sufficient pressure to clean thoroughly. And we found this machine to be no slouch in the cleaning department. We used it first to wash away winter grunge from a brick patio. Using a bit of soap, we had the patio clean in just 5 minutes. Next up was the algae-tinged siding of the house. We were thrilled to see dirt and algae disappear with each pass of the water stream. Finally, we turned to a muddy wooden deck. That also came completely clean within minutes.
To change the pressure, you swap out the quick-connect nozzles, which include 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 25 degrees, 40 degrees, and soap. We did find ourselves occasionally wishing for a pressure-adjustment control other than swapping out nozzles. Still, the maximum pressure of 2,000 psi and top flow of 1.09 gpm, while not especially high, were definitely more than sufficient for our needs, and should be similarly suited to the needs of most homeowners carrying out common cleaning projects.
The pressure washer has a 20-foot hose and a 35-foot power cord. Everything stores neatly on the machine when not in use, so it doesn't take up too much space in the garage or shed. While we were a little concerned about the durability of this pressure washer, as most of the components are lightweight plastic, we had no problems with it at all during our tests, and it maintained even pressure throughout our cleaning sessions. This isn't the best choice for very heavy-duty tasks like removing paint or extreme stains, but it's a great option for use around the home that would benefit from a good rinse.
Power Source: Electric | Max. Pressure: 2,000 psi | Max. GPM: 1.09 | Included Nozzles/Brushes: Five | Weight: 43 pounds | Hose Length: 20 feet
The Spruce / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
The Spruce / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
The Spruce / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
The Spruce / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
The Spruce / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
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