Choosing Power Washers

What is a Power Washer?

A power washer (also known as pressure washer) is a tool that projects water at a high pressure. These tools are used for the high performance cleaning of items such as cars, boats, garden patios and decking. The power washer is powered by an energy source such as electricity or gasoline. Electric power washers are easy to use and require little in the way of additional maintenance whereas petrol power washers have the benefit of being entirely portable, but do require regular fueling. A gasoline power washer is a good choice for jobs where there is no electricity supply.

Pressure washers are used where normal cleaning is not enough to remove dirt from a surface. This can include removing mold or algae from paving that might otherwise be a hazard, causing injury through slipping, or to remove extreme dirt from a vehicle that has been used off-road. Many people like to keep the engines of their cars clean, and a normal hose does not provide an adequate level of pressure to cut through the greasy grime.

Accessories

Power washers are often sold complete with accessories such as different lances and hose attachments. This means that the washer can be adapted to different uses. Most power washers are also sold complete with a detergent tank which means that cleaning solutions can be added to the water to chemically clean a surface.

About the Pressure

The performance of the power washer is measured by the amount of pressure that is used to disperse the water. Pressure is measured in different ways and the retailer will be able to give advice as to the amount of pressure required for different jobs. Pressure in power washers is typically measured as pounds per square inch (PSI), gallons per minute (GPM) or cleaning units (CU). The number of cleaning units of a machine are calculated by multiplying the pounds per square inch by gallons per minute. These three sets of figures help buyers compare the performance of different models and are important to note.

Domestic or Professional?

When choosing power washers, it is important to first consider the way you plan to use it. For most household uses, a domestic power wash machine will be suitable; however for commercial use, or for large and frequent domestic tasks, a larger, more robust machine might be required. In these instances a professional power washer may be required. However, these can cost several hundred dollars and it is worthwhile to take professional advice before embarking on such a large purchase.

More Help With Choosing Power Washers

There are some excellent online sources of information to help with the choice of power or pressure washer. These include:

• Home and Garden Guide
• Consumer Search
• Sun Brite Supply

Buying a Power Washer

Power washers can be found at most large DIY, outdoor and cleaning equipment stores. These are a relatively specialist purchase and the larger stores will offer a great range to choose from. There are specialist online retailers that can offer a good alternative. These include:

• Pressure Washers Direct
• Ultimate Washer
• Every Pressure Washer

Alternatives to Purchasing Power Washers

If there is just an occasional requirement for a power washer, perhaps for an end of season clean of a boat or patio area, hiring a power washer might be a good alternative. It is often possible to hire better specified power washers or professional quality machines which will do the job quickly. This will give access to models of machine that are normally out of a standard household's budget. Hiring can work out more expensive in the long term, however there are no maintenance requirements and the money is only spent when required.

Many garages and self serve car wash facilities have power washers that can be used to clean vehicles. These can also be used to pressure clean portable items which can be hosed down on the forecourt.

A power washer is likely to become an essential piece of cleaning equipment and you will wonder how you ever lived without one!